Essays on Musical Composition

The Ninth Symphony by Beethoven appears to be one of the most popular and central pieces of art, particularly in the Western Music Industry. The magnificent composition of this piece by Beethoven is basically a symbol indicating the end of all symphonies. It appears that Beethoven’s intention was to reflect, mirror and signify significant values of the then Western society. The Ninth Symphony also creates a feeling of hope and fear for individuals that have a higher level of understanding of such 19th century musical composition. There were various symphonies performed in 1824; most of these performances were ...

Among the myriad of cultural phenomena which proliferated and become immortalized to define the electric social atmosphere of the “roaring 20’s”, there is perhaps no better example of a form of artistic expression which at once defined and immortalized the social attitudes and realities faced by individuals living during the period than the genre of Jazz music. Jazz has undoubtedly had a fundamental impact on not only the evolution of artistic expression as seen through the birth of an innovative and vibrant form of musical composition, but also on the transformation of the social status quo of the ...

High noon

Edward Hopper is one of America’s finest artists that ever lived. His work has always been dominated with lonely people either looking outside the window or seated at the café table or just standing at the door staring anxiously outside. Usually, there is no presence of any activity within the pictures. The “high noon” is one of these paintings depicting a woman standing at the door staring outside, lit by direct sunlight and surrounded by an enormous house. The skies behind the house are large and very blank. This unusual composition, displaying a house cropped off at one of its ...

Classic music era falls between 1730 and 1820 or more likely it is from 16th century to the 19th century. Romantic music era started in the late 18th century or especially in early 19th century. The exact century has yet not been found. Mozart and Beethoven are great composers of classical and romantic music with their own individual styles. Although most part of Beethoven’s music is considered in, the classical tradition of Mozart but his style is different from classical in many ways. Now, he evolved as a bridge between both classical and romantic music eras. The most ...

3 Subject + Magic Flute The love of music comes from the feeling afterwards felt after listening to musical pieces. However, this is not the primary intention for individuals who need to listen to music since the objective may involve the need to hear precision and perfection present in the music or for the purpose of strenuous, active and contemplation in which it is involved. A phenomenon referred to like music in it bears tonal variations and styles that arouse feelings and emotions in us depending on our musical perspective hence perceptive feelings and experience present themselves as the ...

In 1786, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was 30 years old and was already considered a world-renowned musicians for his many concertos, sonatas, symphonies and chamber pieces (Bakalar, 2009). During his relatively short career, he died at age 35, he would go on to compose eighteen operas. The Marriage of Figaro, or Le Nozze di Figaro as the original Italian has it, is one of his most important works for several reasons. In the first place it is considered in and of itself to be a masterpiece. After it’s premier the periodical Wiener Realzuitung said of Mozart’s music, “It contains so ...

Cage was heavily influenced by his mentor and teacher Arnold Schoenberg, an Austrian composer who eventually immigrated to the United States. My own knowledge of Schoenberg came about through a literature class that required the class to read a novel, Doctor Faustus, by the German author Thomas Mann. In the novel, which uses the traditional Faust myth of a man who sells his soul in order to obtain knowledge, the Faust character is a musical composer who sells his soul to be able to compose unusual music that will bring him critical acclaim. The professor explained that this character is generally regarded to ...

Introduction

Rhetoric is defined as “the art or study of using language effectively and persuasively” (thefreedictionary). Throughout history, the relationship between rhetoric and music has often been a close one, especially in the Baroque period (rhetoric). The term ‘baroque’ was derived from the Portuguese barroco, meaning “oddly shaped pearl.” Since the nineteenth century, it has been much used to define the era in Western European music from around 1600 through to 1750 (Baroque). The comparison of history’s greatest musical masterpieces to a misshapen pearl seems unwarranted today. However, the critics of the nineteenth century who coined the phrase felt that ...

Rhetoric can be defined as the art or study of using language effectively and persuasively (thefreedictionary). There have been many instances where the relationship between rhetoric and music has been close, particularly in the Baroque period (rhetoric).

Until relatively late in Western civilization, music was mainly a vocal art form and therefore words were of high importance. As a result, composers tended to be inspired by rhetorical principles when combining text with music (rhetoric). Furthermore, even after independent instrumental music gained popularity, the rhetoric principles continued to be used for both vocal and instrumental music.

Rhetoric and music have basic elements ...