Early Music through the Baroque Period - Assignment Example

"The Nature of Music" &" Early Music through the Baroque Period" The Nature of Music Rimsky-Korsakov: "Capriccio Espagnol" This piece was written in 1887 by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and, from listening to it, one gets the feeling of Spanish folk melodies. It consists of five movements that are divided into two parts. The first part consists of three movements, while the latter part consists of two movements. Alborada is the first movement, featuring two solo clarinets and a later violin solo that sounds similar to the clarinet, while Variazoni is the second movement beginning with a horn section melody repeated by other sections and instruments in the orchestra. The third Alborada movement differs from the first in its different key and instrumentations, while Scena e canto Gitano, the fourth movement, opens with horns, followed by solo violin, flute, clarinet and then a harp. Finally, the Fandango asturiano restates the Alborada theme more energetically. Biebl: "Ave Maria" Biebl’s Ave Maria was performed by the Ecclesium choir and I found it enchanting with an elegant mood that is both beautiful and soothing. It is conceived in the Alternatum Plainchant style and, from the various versions that I have viewed and listened to, it is available in four forms for choirs. These are the original TTBB voicing, SSAA, SAATTBB with a bass and tenor soloist, and three soloists in SATB. In my case, I much prefer the SAATTBB version because of its incredible and soothing harmony. This piece is amazing, especially considering its history where it was not well received in Europe but became a hit in the US. It was this popularity, I surmise, that led Biebl to rearrange the piece for different choirs. Britten: "Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra" This book is accompanied by a CD narrated by Ben Kingsley. I found it enlightening because of its overview of orchestra, which it follows up with an array of instrument groups used in orchestras. The brief explanations of the instrument group’s history and distinctive sound qualities However, it would have been better if the instruments were named where they were shown alone, rather than in small group photos, which I found odd. Nevertheless, the highlighting of individual instrument parts with clear labelling of their parts is very helpful, even though the instruments are only named in the smaller photographs showing them in orchestra groups. Post #1 I agree with the post that the strings in this piece gave the entire performance a whimsical feel, although it would have been better to refer to the marimba, rather than the percussion. In fact, it puts the marimba, an instrument that is rarely given much space, in the centre stage (Grout 33). Post #2 This post rightly notes that this piece almost follows the rules of tap-dancing, in that it only repeats long enough for the listener to catch its flow, before changing its step. In my case, I would have added the fact about the central character in the piece, a young girl on Christmas Eve, who awakens to romantic love and the wider world. Post #3 The post makes an important point about this piece being Dvorak’s ninth and last symphony, but I would also have linked this with the fact that nine seems to be a magical number for most composers, such as Mahler, Bruckner, Schubert, and Beethoven. While the piece does sound as if it is made for a movie, maybe this is because of Dvorak’s use of characteristic elements of Native American and African American music. Post #4 I do agree that this music puts one in the “mood”, if that is what the writer meant, and going on to say that it makes one feel like they are on a boat with a Spanish man in padding attire captures my feelings exactly. The post’s insistence on the role that the guitar plays in this piece cannot be emphasized enough, specifically since the guitar rarely faces the full orchestra’s force. Which genre(s) of music you would like to learn more about?  Top of Form Read More