Essays on Classical Music

- In the essay, I will argue that art house movies are of higher quality that popular ones;
- Another point to show in the essay is that art house movies are worth watching;

Introduction

Consumerism is the way of life of modern society. Consumerism means not only consuming goods, but means of entertainment, as well. Hollywood makes movies that are focused on needs of unthinking society. On the other hand, art house movies make people think not only about the plot of a movie, but about the world around them, as well. I this essay, I will compare two Continue reading...

Indian classical music influencing western music in 21st century

The concept that Indian classical music has influenced western music has gained so much weight in the recent years. Classical music is the considered to be the music of east. While hip hop, jazz, rock and pop music is associated with western culture.
Introduction: the influence of Indian music is very prominent on western music. There are various evidences that show how western music is inspired from the Indian classical music. When we see at the Jazz music, it’s played in clubs, concerts, and even in balls. In the beginning, it was played in few western countries but Continue reading...

In reference to music, the Romantic era was a period of music that started in the early 19th Century. The exact dates of this era are given, as 1815-1910. One of the greatest composers of this period was Franz Schubert. The music of the Romantic era was quite distinct from music of this Classical era, which had just preceded this era. There was a lot of freedom exhibited in the composition of the music of this era. The music placed more importance on the expression of emotion. There was also a tendency to explore imagination, adventure and fantasy though Continue reading...

The Romantic era is a period that spurs a lot of revolutions in a number of sectors ranging from art, literature, music and intellectual movements among many others. Most outstandingly hits were visual arts, music and literature as it was associated with liberalism and radicalism. The emergence of great role models especially William Shakespeare played a very significant role in molding inspiration in several young artists and composers. A keen look at the works of two of such composers; Frenchman Hector Berlioz's ‘Symphonie’ Fantastique and Tchaikovsky's "Romeo and Juliet Overture" gives a classic representation of the intertwined similarities shared.
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When it comes to classical music, the symphony and the concerto are two of the most recognizable genres. Classical artists like Wolfgang Mozart. J.S Bach, J F. Handel and Beethoven wrote countless symphonies and concertos that are still popular today. Mozart is generally considered a “genius” when it comes to musical compositions and in this essay, two of his greatest works are going to be analyzed and compared. The two works include a symphony and a concerto. The first is the symphony no.40 in G minor, K, 550, (first movement), while the second is the Concerto for Flute for Continue reading...

Arcangelo Corelli

Arcangelo Corelli is one of the greatest violinists. He is considered to be the founder of modern violin technique. Corelli was one of the key figures of Italian music in XVII-XVIII centuries. Corelli’s works, without exaggeration, can be called masterpieces of Italian classical music.
His compositions are embodied rigor, modesty and simplicity. But, at the same time, they are written with the perfect taste, in his exquisite manner. His style is clear and unique. You won’t hear such unnecessary details in Corelli’s compositions like external effects, random notes – each sound has own place. And, at the Continue reading...

Introduction

Music therapy is an evidence-based clinical use of musical interventions to achieve individual goals within a therapeutic relationship by a certified practitioner. Music therapy may sound not like a very much practiced medical procedure but that is not true. In fact, music therapy dates back as early as ancient civilizations like Egyptian, Indus valley and old Chinese civilization. Music combined with various dance forms was used at that time to treat various illnesses. Even today music therapy is used to address physical, cognitive, emotional and social needs of an individual. After assessing the problems of a patient, a certified Continue reading...

MUSIC APPRECIATION

Twentieth century composers were known for the innovativeness, and developed new organizing systems and included sounds like never before never before seen or heard in Western fine art music. Music has grown over time and today, we hear rhythms and blues, psychedelic music to disco and rock, rock and roll, rap, and hip-hop to name a few. Composers like Edwin Outwater, Morton Feldman, Luigi Russolo, and Edgard Varèse have changed the concept of what music is and should be.
Melody was a composition that was not overtly preferred by Edwin Outwater. American music composer, Morton Feldman’s orchestra Continue reading...

Although the three forms of opera, oratorio and cantata all include the human voice, they are substantially different in their concept and subject matter. The Baroque period saw the evolution of these three styles with opera also developing substantially. The oratorio was largely developed by Handel and the main difference between it and opera was that it usually treated a sacred subject rather than a secular one which was always opera’s remit. The cantata was also usually with a sacred theme although there are several cantatas by Scarlatti which have a secular theme to them.
The baroque opera Continue reading...

Music is an art widely appreciated for its effect on the human psyche. Researchers are increasingly drawn to study the effect of music in the day-to-day lives of people with a bias toward quantifying its scope of impact and understand it as they do science. Personality theorists, cognitive psychologists and applied psychologists alike are interested in how a musical distraction has varying effects on the cognitive task performance per individual. Uhrbrock (1961) noted that amongst other observations, the quality of work can be adversely affected by the use of music in the work situation and Instrumental, rather than vocal, Continue reading...

Question 1Neue Mozart Ausgage, Series 4: Orchestral Works, volume 7 for Sinfonie in D nach de Serenade KV 204.

Question 2
A. Measures 1-9 are organized in the form of a small ternary. This is explained where the exposition section is modulating period that ending with an authentic cadence in A major. The development section modulates back to the D major and ends with a half cadence (Eisen, 1).
B. In measure 9, there is a repetition of the cadential idea. In measure ten to 20, there is an 8 note motive measure 21, on the other hand, is an augmentation of the 8 note motive (Eisen, 1).
C. The tone is low at measure 9 the 16th Continue reading...

Physical aspects that affected my experience of the concert

The concert was held in the TTU auditorium, which a nice place for performances. its size contained the sounds and the music echoed faintly from the wall. The audience comprised of respectful people to musoc who held their peace for the entirety of the performance. The silence was instrumental in ensuring a wholesome experience of the percussion of sounds played by the ensemble.

Musical observations

The music played during the concert was classical. The Threepenny opera classics were performed in a way that everyone got something in concert. The classical music enthusiasts were rewarded with these timeless tunes while the popular Continue reading...

Grimm: Season 3

During the 3rd season, the series is staged in such a way the Nick appears to be dead. This happens at the beginning of the series. There have been many comments in relation to the fugue state of Nick. Part of the audience enjoyed this part while the rest are not happy with it claiming that the movie will be boring and a cliché if this continues throughout the movie.
One interested fun is seen to describe the reason behind this claiming that it is as a result of Nick’s Super hearing. To him this is like a Continue reading...

The first movements of piano concertos by J.C. Bach and W.A. Mozart
Mozart’s piano concertos are said to among his best compositions. The Piano Concerto in A Major, K. 488 is testament to this. This graceful composition has three movements and uses small orchestra comprised of instruments from all four classes. The instruments are two flutes, two bassoons, two clarinets and two horns as well the instruments from the string section like the violin.
One significant difference of Mozart’s concertos was refusing the harpsichord and clavichord. He started to compose sonata concertos only for piano with orchestra, Continue reading...

Gustav Mahler’s Symphony Nr 8, ‘Symphony of a Thousand’

Gustav Mahler’s symphonies are considered to be some of the most important pieces of music in the whole classical repertoire and the ‘Symphony of a Thousand’ is certainly no exception. It is definitely a work which transgresses humanity and in Mahler’s own words seems to describe ‘the planets and suns revolving’. Although it is truly on a massive scale lasting almost 90 minutes its message is short and succinct and definitely regulates one’s mind and places the person in the centre of the universe. It uses texts from Goethe’s Faust in the Second Part and Continue reading...

Alban Berg was an Austrian composer, teacher and one of the most prominent representatives of the Second Viennese musical expressionism and composer school. Alan Berg was a student and a follower of A. Schoenberg, who was Alban Berg’s teacher in years 1904 - 1911.
One of the most prominent representatives of expressionism in music, Berg expressed in his works characteristic of expressionist artists thoughts, feelings and images: dissatisfaction with the social life, feelings of helplessness and loneliness. The hero of his works can be expressed asa little man, driven to despair by a hostile environment of bourgeois society. Continue reading...

Classical concerts are nice events, and a person comes to know about many things after visiting a concert. A person has good memories of the concert and gains musical information about it. The concert that was attended was held in Brooklyn, New York. On 5th of December, Cecile Licad performed at a concert where a huge crowd gathered to listen to her. She played Chopin’s Ballade No. 1 in G minor and Scherzo in B-flat minor, McDowell’s 10 Woodland Sketches, Cecile Chaminade’s Sonata in C minor and Faure’s Ballade.
A group of four men and Continue reading...

Abstract

The influence of music on our personality and moods has never been denied. We have always had music around us and like to listen to our favorites. Whether it is classical music, new age music or music of any genre, it is known to be a powerful mood lifter and melt those blues away. Different studies have been done on various aspects of music and how it can influence our moods. The purpose of the essay is to look at a study on the stress beating techniques followed by students and compare the results.

Introduction

Music has been around for Continue reading...

Abstract

Amnesia is a condition characterized by memory loss or inability to form new memories that can be caused by organic or functional factors. Organic factors that cause amnesia include brain injuries from physical trauma or medical condition. Functional factors are psychological responses to traumatic events or internal conflicts. Although the cause of amnesia is clear when memory is impaired by organic factors, the role of physiological processes in dissociative amnesia is still controversial. This paper aims to provide an overview of amnesia and the physiological processes that can explain how functional factors affect the brain and impair memory recovery.
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Ludwig van Beethoven is undoubtedly one of the most important and well-known unprecedented music composers. From an early age, Beethoven put significant aptitude, freewill, and inflexible peculiarity on display. His unusual and overwhelming personal characteristics are reflected in his compositions and music. Without a question, Beethoven became known as the most advanced and greatest classical music composer. According to Goethe, "I have never seen so intense so concentrated an artist” like Beethoven (as qtd. in Ludwig 247). It is not possible for a listener to not stir by Beethoven’s divine and soulful music. His exceptional Continue reading...

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Beethoven’s fifth has been a cornerstone of Western music to such a degree that it has passed into popular culture. The first two bars of the symphony (which Beethoven himself described as ‘the knock of fate’) has become iconic. As can be seen from the numerous pop culture references these two bars have certainly communicated to any audience over nearly 200 years exactly what Beethoven had intended. The simple motif seems almost ridiculous at first glance – it is played in unison with ample room for pause with the rests Continue reading...

Classical music, according to Giraldez (31) affects the ability and the brain’s organization through rhythm and melody. Giraldez (31) further notes that the levels of serotonin that are produced by the brain are raised by rhythms. In explanation, he defines serotonin as a neurotransmitter that transmits nerve impulses that aid in maintaining jolly feelings. Giraldez (31) adds that when the brain produces serotonin, so is tension eased. In keeping with, Giraldez (31) depression results from scarce production of serotonin hormone and it are only released when the brain is positively shocked. An example is when one looks at Continue reading...

George Gershwin was one of the most prolific composers in America for the twenty century, excelling in the field of popular song compositions and classical compositions. He wrote a lot of music but the pieces that made him famous and also remained in the history of music as representative for his own style were two orchestral compositions like Rhapsody in Blue and An American in Paris and also the opera Porgy and Bess.
George Gershwin was born in 26 September 1898 in Brooklyn, New York. Gershwin came from a Russian and Lithuanian Jewish heritage and he was the second Continue reading...

The music concert was held in 101 queen street north Kitchener at the center at around 7:00 pm Saturday, November 27th, 2014. Different music instruments were played accompanied by various types of music. The hall provided an excellent atmosphere, very soothing and magical. Many symphony concerts have been known to be conducted in this chamber and honestly speaking it gave the concert an amazing vibe. The hall was not that big, but it accommodated at least 100 member audiences plus the performers. Before the show kicked off, it was evident enough that it was going to be extraordinary with Continue reading...

Introduction to Theatre

“Black Violin works hard, but makes it all look like play Sometimes they play with the intense seriousness of orchestral soloists; at others they fiddle as if at a hoedown; at still others they strum the violin and viola like guitars.” (N.Y. Times, n.d.)
The group Black Violin was founded roughly a decade ago in 2003. It is led by Wilner “Wil B” Baptiste and Kevin “Kev Marcus” Sylvester. They are classically-trained viola and violin players who first met playing in their high school orchestra in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. After graduation from college, they worked with many different hip-hop Continue reading...

In this essay I will respond to Rifkin and Marshal debate regarding “St. Mathews Passion” by J.S. Bach by explaining their positions about this piece and the way of how modern instruments influenced the sonority in the performance of Baroque Music. To sustained my arguments I will use two articles from “The Musical Times,” the first is called “Bach’s Chorus. A Preliminary Reply to Joshua Rifkin” by Marshall and the second one is named “Bach's Chorus: A Preliminary Report” by Rifkin.
Johann Sebastian Bach was one of the most important composers from the Baroque period who wrote hundreds Continue reading...

In this essay, I will talk about my perspective on the relationship between human and nature in the Symphony No. 6 by Beethoven. In order to support my arguments properly, I will start by listening to the Six Symphony in the interpretation of London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Herbert von Karajan. Furthermore, I will divide the work in separate parts, in the same way in which the composer had created it and I will approach each movement separately, by connecting music and the main themes with the relationship between nature and human, by searching elements that are correlated or Continue reading...

Introduction

The book Blink by Malcolm Gladwell is about how we think without thinking. This can be further explained by illustrating that the choices made instantly in the blink of an eye without actually thinking why they are made. The world around us requires that decisions should be footnoted. This means that if we say how we feel about something we must be ready to elaborate about why we feel a certain way. Blink discloses that a quality of good decision maker is not who can spend time providing deliberate answers or process the information effectively but the one who Continue reading...

Igor Stravinsky

Igor Stravinsky was one of the most representative and brilliant composers from the twenty century and had a big influence on the development of the modern music. He wasn’t known only for his skill as a composer, he was also recognized as a pianist, conductor and a great and valuable musician. Throughout his composing career, Stravinsky have experimented many styles in composition using different rhythms and harmonies but musicologists clearly defined three stylistic periods in his musical evolution. The first period was between 1908- 1923 and it was called “Russian period,” the second period was between 1923- 1953 Continue reading...

Introduction

The Pre-lude and Fugue in C major, BWV is a composition written by J.S Bach. It appears in the book “The Well-Tempered Clavier” as the first prelude and fugue. This book comprises of a set of 48 preludes and fugues that were authored by J.S Bach. The prelude part of this keyboard piece consists of 35 bars and is also characterized by broken chords. It ends with a single C major chord. However, some artists over time have added extra bars inside the piece in order to add a personal touch to the piece or to alter its progression. Continue reading...

Compare and contrast the first movements of Beethoven’s 1st, 3rd, and 5th Symphonies

This essay will compare and contrast the first movements of Beethoven’s 1st, 3rd, and 5th Symphonies. Furthermore for a better understanding of the pieces, the research will focus on the musical path of the composer and on the way of how personal circumstances influenced his musical way of composing. For good comparisons and contrasts, I will approach in my analysis of the pieces instrumentation, harmonic development, length, and complexity of the structure.
Ludwig van Beethoven was one of the greatest composers of Germany and a predominant figure for the transition between Classicism and Romanticism. He wrote a lot Continue reading...

Jazz Music and the Modern Society

Jazz is a type of music which employs lot of communication between the musicians and the audiences present with the help of profound language of music. The present popularity and power of jazz music has been indicated in the early times of African and American settlements. The genre is also incorporates in various aspects of music and coupled with the polyrhythm, blue notes, improvisation, spontaneous music and syncopation which have completed the possibilities of music (Hersch, 2009). After a particular time of expansion in music, jazz music has increasingly identified by the characteristics which serves the mainstream music. The Continue reading...

For as long as people have created works of art to represent themselves and their conceptions of the world around them, the symbolism that the moon offers has provided it with a unique place among natural symbols. The moon earned its place thanks to the deep understanding of ancient peoples and their mythological use of the moon to explain natural and moral phenomena. In music, all of those ancient stories concerning the moon and its place in the collective human psyche are layered atop one another to create a dense, mysterious symbol defined best by the pieces composed to Continue reading...

Symphony

Their voices are like bells, ringing out through the air in a clarion call of frantic joy. The air is silken and warm around me, caressing me with gentle tendrils of wind, as soft as a child’s hands. The grass is smooth, velvet, the pure green of an emerald held up to the light, and it smells of fresh mornings, and new growing things. The children play, moving in free strides of careless abandon, their small hands wrapping around the monkey bars, the chains of the swings as they push themselves skyward. The sun is bright, and as Continue reading...

People in the Romantic Period Believed That Music Has the Ability to Communicate Aspects of Life That Reason and Rationality Cannot
Music is a medium that for centuries has swayed man in a way no other medium ever has. This is a statement backed by the progress the field of music, be it classical or contemporary has made throughout history. There are many who consider music to be the most effective medium if one wishes to express himself/herself. There are those who say that this is not entirely true as not everyone has musical knowledge and prowess. However, one Continue reading...

Considered to be among the most renowned Classical music, Ludwig Van Beethoven’s compositions have been attributed to multiple facts. For instance, Beethoven’s biography narrates hardships the composer had to overcome during his lifetime. Consequently, whilst his music is appreciated in genres outside classical music, debates emerge on the life of Ludwig Van Beethoven. The most prominent subject of said debates is the musician’s heritage. Whereas some argue the man to be white because of his German citizenship, others refute the claims. According to those against the ideology of Beethoven being white, “there has been a conspiracy Continue reading...

Thriller is a popular song that was performed by Michael Jackson. This song was released in 1983, and it became one of the signature tunes for Michael Jackson. It is a form of pop song that is rare and has a horror theme. The inspiration of the song came from one of Sherlock Holmes popular novel to date titled the hound of Baskervilles. The song broke racial boundaries that were present in the music at that time.
The song back in black is a rock song performed by AC/DC in 1980. The song was written by Brian Johnson, who Continue reading...

-Chopin Piano Concerto No.2 in F Minor, Op. 21
-Rachmaninoff Symphony No.2 in E Minor, Op. 27

Concert Report/ Mini Ethnography

On October 4 2014, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra performed Chopin Piano Concerto No.2, and Rachmaninoff Symphony No.2 at the Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto. The music conductor was David Zinman, and the piano soloist was Khatia Buniatishvili. While enjoying the impressive concert performance, I made notes and participant observations regarding the concert culture of Western Art Music.

Performers

The orchestra consisted of approximately 60 performers for the first piece, and 90 performers for the second piece. All the performers were in a formal Continue reading...

Abstract

Amnesia usually originates from memory loss as a result of particular situations, mostly brain illness, injury, or psychological trauma. Memory loss is frequently the most disabling attribute of numerous disorders, weakening the ordinary day by day actions of the patients and intensely distressing the people (Madan, 2011).
Amnesia is based on the proximal cause of the injury such as psychogenic amnesia and organic amnesia. This paper discusses psychogenic amnesia, its causes and its types including the psychogenic fugue and psychogenic focal retrograde amnesia. Psychogenic amnesia was then differentiated from retrograde and organic type of amnesia.
Psychogenic amnesia is described Continue reading...

Introduction

In 1724, Johann Sebastian Bach composed a widely acclaimed cantata for Christmas day celebrations. It contained a narrative of words that praised Jesus Christ, and was supported by instrumentals and vocal codes. The cantata is a follow up on the famous hymn by Martin Luther, ‘Praise is to you, Jesus Christ ‘, and that was composed in 1524. The composition was inspired from readings that are located in the bible such as the Gospel of Luke, the book of Isaiah and Titus, which contained readings about the birth and salvation of Jesus Christ.

The composition

The narration uses aspects of repetition in Continue reading...