The Thunderer Analyse

The song that is being reviewed is The Thunderer by John Philip Sousa. It has been analyzed by the balance, tempo and unity of the ensemble. I tried my best to be accurate about how the music was actually played, but everybody perceives it a different way. Although this song had been favored by many, there were obvious places where it didn’t sound so well, like measures eighty-eight through one hundred, only because of the higher octave. Although all three aspects analyzed seemed to be pretty well done, there were spots where they weren’t quite up to par. This is a review of the way the band played The Thunderer.

Let’s start with the balance of the piece. The first ten measures were really well done, maybe even the best they have ever played them. The low parts did not overpower anyone else and the higher parts surprisingly kept their intonation well, even though there was a major change in the octaves. Not one part was heard more than the others, which is what we strive for. However, in measure twenty-one the lower parts begin to take over a bit more and that can become an issue because most of the time the lower parts are not playing the melody and the melody is what we want to hear. In measure thirty-three the higher

instruments begin to be heard more and the balance is back on track. The ensembles balance during the course of the piece was a rate of about 7/10, only because it faded in and out.
The next musical characteristic being discussed is tempo.

In measures one through sixty-nine they stayed perfectly on tempo. After that though they started to play slower only because the dynamics had shifted to piano and they tend to get slower when they play quieter. No one happens to know why such things are associated but they have to work on it a bit more. After measure eighty-eight we sped up suddenly and the band got to be the correct tempo. It has really been a challenge to keep a steady tempo throughout songs especially with this song being longer than some and having repeats it can drag sometimes. It sounded much better just from the last rehearsal to the performance. This may not have been the steadiest tempo but it sure was up

there.
The last factor that’s been analyzed was the unity of the ensemble. This is just how together they were during the song. Honestly they did a great job at staying in time with each other and I think it might also be more so how accurately the rhythms were played. If everybody played the wrong rhythms, they would be at different places and the song would certainly fall apart. This song was a march, which if anything, should be played even more together than any other piece. Around measure thirty-seven, when the notes are supposed to be separated, it kind of just jumbles together and the sounds do not mix well. Perhaps people were holding their notes for too long and others were not holding them for long enough. The general sound was very good. All the pitches fit together well although every once in a while there was an incorrect sounding note or two.
In conclusion, this piece has proven to be the greatest performed due to the balance, tempo, and unity. This piece was obviously the best technical and sound wise. Tempo was steady and the band was so put together they were almost one instrument. They could have done a better job, but there is always room for improvement. The band played so well it would be sure to impress anybody.