The History and Composition of Great Musical Pieces

3924 Words8 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Music influence essays

The History and Composition of Great Musical Pieces

Music is the most intangible art form. You cannot grasp or hold it, as you can other art forms. It is there for a minute, and it vanishes as soon as the last chord fades away. The great works of music are timeless. They remain with us after all the instruments have been packed away and the players have all gone home, in our heads, playing over and over. We hear them everywhere from shopping malls to commercials, even after their composers have been dead for hundreds of years. However, as technology grows and our lives get seemingly busier in this new millennium, the appreciation for this amazing art form has waned considerably. With digital synthesizers and greedy producers, the music that makes people feel their true existence has vanished. And I, being a devote musician, have grown up with the desire to recreate such music, to give people the chance to get swept off the dance floor and evoke great emotion. In order to do so, I am exploring the history of great musical pieces, so that the facts behind the composers’ melodies, and their process in creating masterpieces will be as timeless as the music they made.

I began exploring the musical world in second grade, when I begrudgingly started piano lessons following in my older sister’s footsteps. What began as a struggle turned out to be an ongoing experience I find in both my exploration of piano and viola (started in 5th grade). I am not a prodigal player, and whether I am a talented composer remains to be seen, but I find unexpected yet comforting roots among the musical world. With each day I learn more about various composers and get to know them and their styles. From Mozart’s pure melodies, Beethoven’s harmonies, to Chopin’s ability to seamlessly modulate from key to key I find finesse, detail and ease. I am fascinated by their abilities to pull a melody out of thin air and embellish it. I feel that I am not the only one gripped by the music composers create; the whole human race enjoys listening to music, whether it is classical, jazz, rap or one of the many other forms of music the world has to offer today.

Music has always been an integral part of human life. Not only has it followed us throughout our history, but it has its own history.

Show More
Related

  • The Rules In Ayn Rand's Anthem

    742 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Anthem there are so many rules and controls, yet there is one that truly rises above it all. And that word is “I”. There is no “I” only “We”, for the great “We” is what they follow. And they are one not individual, they are one. And poor Equality can’t seem to understand that the rules are rules, but in a way he’s making his own rules. And he is mistreated for his looks and appearance and dosen’t seem really one with his brothers. And he’s curious and most don’t even question life, and he notices the little things, “Yet as we stand at night in the great hall, removing our garments for sleep, we look upon our brothers and we wonder. The heads of our brothers are bowed. The eyes of our brothers are dull, and never do they look one another in the eyes. The shoulders of our brothers are hunched, and their muscles are drawn, as if their bodies were shrinking and wished to shrink out of sight. And a word steals into our mind, as we look upon our brothers, and that word is fear.”(Rand 46). He has a wanting to learn and build his knowledge, but the rules don’t permit his decisions.

    Read More

  • Francis of Assisi: Shaping Christianity Through Gospel Life

    881 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are six practices that Francis helped put in place transformed Christianity for good. His practices are still preached today. Friendship, Francis was friends with everyone. He had the ability to accept those in poverty and the wealthy, but even more he was able to accept the purity of nature and animals. Francis preached that we all are equal and have something to offer one another. Poverty is another practice that Francis had spoke of. He felt by giving everything you have and living with nothing allowed you to become one with poverty. Spirituality was also something that no other leader had ever preached as an important time no matter who or what, faith is the ultimate connection to follow God. Francis cared for everything no matter what it was, human, animal even things such as rocks needed to be cared for. Finally Francis's last practice was death. Francis felt that death was his sister. Everyone would be encountered with it and it was something not to be feared, but be more looked at as peaceful (Sweeney,

    Read More

  • Saint Francis Of Assis

    855 Words  | 2 Pages

    When news came out saying that “Assis and Pergiua were in a war,” Francis eagerly joined the army. Francis was then later caught and taken as a prisoner by Pergiua. But, then he was released from the hands of Pergiua. Francis was injured. So, St. Francis had to stay in the hospital while he recovered. There were no TVs, tablets, smartphones, or computers back then, so he had to try to find a way to entertain his self. There was a book in his quarters and out of boredom, he started reading the book. The book was about the ministries of God and the scripture readings. St. Francis thought the book was very intriguing, so he read more of the book. Then he had the warm, loving feeling in his heart. While St. Francis was praying outside of the San Damiano, St. Francis he had a vision from God saying, “Francis, go and repair my church which as you can see is in ruins.” The Lord was with him! After his time in the hospital, St. Francis went out into the world and did wondrous

    Read More

  • St. Francis Of Assisi

    2952 Words  | 6 Pages

    St. Francis was an Italian Catholic and a talented poet. As an Italian, his heart moved naturally to deep affection, love and enjoyment. As a poet, he could see right through the outcome of those answers. One night during a dream, he saw his house turned into a palace. The walls of this palace were hung with glorious armory, banners, shields, and swords – all instruments of war. Suddenly he heard a voice, it explained that this was to be his palace, the gathering place for all his knights. The arms were theirs, the banners, and tokens of their countless conquests. To complete this wonderful dream, a gorgeous bride awaited him. St. Francis awoke charmed. A few days after that, he left Assisi to go to Southern Italy to enlist. He reached Spoleto, wh...

    Read More

  • Understanding GMOs: Benefits and Drawbacks

    1349 Words  | 3 Pages

    Fans of GMOs say we will be able to feed more people because farmers can grow more food because their crops are more resistant to the environment. GMOs also put less stress on the environment, by using less chemicals, and less tilling. Because they require fewer pesticides, land and water, GMOs help keep food production costs down resulting in lower prices for consumers. Some GM foods have a longer shelf life, allowing it to be transported to other countries who don’t have nutrient rich food. Better nutrition in the foods such as vitamin A-enhanced rice, or "golden rice," that is helping to reduce global vitamin A deficiencies. Another benefit is that scientists have engineered plants to produce vaccines, proteins, and other pharmaceutical goods in a process called "pharming."In addition to plants there are some genetically modified animals, such as a salmon, that grows much faster than the non-GMO salmon. But with many benefits comes many concerns. In more than 60 countries around the world, including Australia, Japan, and all of the countries in the European Union, there are significant restrictions or outright bans on the production and sale of GMOs. There are concerns over the fact that GMOs may lead to allergy risks, or even cause new allergies, although this has not been proven.Modified organisms may interbreed with natural organisms. This could lead to the extinction of the original organism or to other unpredictable environmental effects. Crops built to survive weed killer could breed with a weed and create a “superweed” which would be more resistant to pesticides, and it

    Read More

  • Drug Use at Music Festivals

    1788 Words  | 4 Pages

    Since the earliest days of human civilization music has been a key tool for communication of stories which carried emotions through them. If we think back to our youngest years of life music has surrounded us whether it was from our parents singing us lullabies or from some sort of toy that played music we can say that musical melodies have helped shape or lives one way or another. Once we start growing up and figuring out who we are our musical preferences change; some people like classical and some like punk. We start to befriend people who like the same music as us and eventually we may attend a musical event. Our lives somewhat revolve around the music that we listen to.

    Read More

  • Gmo Pros And Cons

    780 Words  | 2 Pages

    When we genetically modify an organism, we are creating an entirely new species. This can mean disaster for the surrounding natural organisms. These GM crops, which have been created to fight pests and weeds, can easily win in a competition for survival. Long-term effects include endangering these unmodified species, or even driving them to extinction. Another problem is that consumers don’t know when they’re eating GM foods. You might be allergic to fish, and then you go grocery shopping. You buy tomatoes to use in your dinner that night, with no knowledge that they have fish genes that can trigger your allergies. Allergic reactions to these modified foods are just another issue that comes up when GMOS come into play. Also, when we buy these foods, we’re supporting big industries that have patents on all these crops. The fact that people can patent crops just because they stuck some new DNA in them doesn’t make sense to begin with, but furthermore, the local, organic farmers who don’t want to, or can’t afford to pay these industries to use their patented crops are losing business.

    Read More

  • Music, Technology and Society

    1000 Words  | 2 Pages

    It has been scientists' belief that music must have been present in the ancestral population prior to the dispersal of humans around the world. Therefore it is believed that music must have been in existence for at least 50,000 years, with the first music being invented in Africa and then evolving into becoming a fundamental constituent of human life. Any culture of music is influenced by the aspect of their culture, including their social and economic organization, climate, and access to technology. People express their emotions and ideas through their music. Music expresses the situations and how music is listened to and played. The attitude towards music players and composers varies between regions and periods of history. Music history" is the distinct subfield of musicology and history which studies music (particularly western art music) from a chronological perspective. ("History of Music")

    Read More

  • St. Francis of Assisi

    1184 Words  | 3 Pages

    St. Francis of Assisi was considered to be a magnificent man. He had a very appealing way of life that people now know and talk about everyday. When learning many new items and discoveries about St. Francis, I accomplished better knowledge about him. This paper will describe the life of St. Francis in depth talking about his early life, his imprisonment and turning towards God, and his works and teachings.

    Read More

  • Music and Cultural Identity

    1236 Words  | 3 Pages

    Music plays a huge role in the structure of a society. It can have both negative and positive influence on cultures and communities. First, musical sounds and instruments can be a dividing factor between the people within the same culture. These opposing social and economic identities within these cultures can lead unnecessary animosity between the members. However, music can also be one of the forces that unite members of a culture and provide a sense pride for everyone. This makes it easier for people to display their identification to that culture.

    Read More

  • David Hume's View On Free Will

    1773 Words  | 4 Pages

    Ever thought about who controls the decisions you make regarding your daily activities? You may think you control every aspect of your life, but some philosophers have questioned such notions. Many schools of thought explain the analogy of free will, and they present the argument of whether we have the freedom to act or other causes and effects determine our destiny. Free will in this context is defined as the freedom to choose and act where there several alternative courses of action. Theologically, the concept of free will is presented as the power to make decisions on our own without necessarily been influenced by external or predetermined courses.

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons: The Benefits Of Genetically Modified Foods

    1055 Words  | 3 Pages

    Genetically modified organisms are known to carry many risks along with its benefits. Many studies have shown that eating new genetically modified organisms cause more allergic reactions found in people some of the reason is even if people don’t consume GMO crops. Animals are being fed GMO products such as soy beans, and corn then the animal is consumed by us. Many GMO’s pose great environmental damage by crossbreeding with weeds. This is a threat because most genetically modified crops are made to be herbicide resistance, when cross-breeding happens the weeds also become resistant to herbicides making it easier for them to spread. The time for the genetically modified organisms to grow is generally about the same amount of time as non-genetically modified organisms. One of the biggest cons to GMO is that no one really knows if they are safe for consumption. Studies have been done but in some cases there is a risk of cancer. Also pesticides have been found in some of the genetically modified crops. This leads to more toxins in our bodies which can lead to more cancer diagnosis. With all of these risks the concern of genetically modified organisms is still growing. Figure 2 shows a general idea of consumer’s feelings towards

    Read More

  • Generation Z And Millennials

    844 Words  | 2 Pages

    A Millennial is a person reaching adulthood around 2000. According to Simon Sinek in his interview with Tom Bilyeu when he answered the “infamous millennial question”, he describes Millennials predominantly as being entitled. Sinek claims that they are tough to manage, self-interested, unfocused, and lazy. He claims this is all due to parenting, technology, impatience, and the environment. The parenting aspects caused problems

    Read More

  • Personal Journal: My Passions and Hobbies

    563 Words  | 2 Pages

    Music, a form of art, made up of unique and special sounds containing elements of pitch and rhythm can powerfully soothe one’s soul. Firstly, there are different types of music, and each has its own features. These sounds and features are what I admire in music because to me it creates a new form of communication to one’s consciousness. It stimulates our mind and gives it a sense of harmony and peace through the hardships that life poses for us. As a kid, I would always listen to music from any genre, deciding which genre would complement me the most as I grew older. In middle school, I remember going on the computer and finding a website/program where I could make my own beats. From that day on, I spent countless of hours each day making sure the tune sounded proper and pleasurable for my ears. At first, it wasn’t good, but eventua...

    Read More

  • The Important Role of Music in Society

    447 Words  | 1 Pages

    Music is an essential part of life because of the expression it allows people to have, its entertainment, and its therapeutic ways for the world.

    Read More

More about The History and Composition of Great Musical Pieces

Open Document