Experience of Two Different Composition or Two Performances of the Same Composition - Assignment Example

Describe and assess the listeners experience of two different composition or two performances of the same composition The song Moon River was originally composed by Henry Mancini and written by Johnny Mercer (Roberts 135). It has been sung by many artists. Jerry Butler, Danny Williams, Joni James Jonny Fair are just some of them. Here is an analysis of the same composition performed by two great artists; Andy Williams and Frank Sinatra. Andy Williams performed his song in 1962 while Frank Sinatra sang his song in 1964. The purpose of this small study is to compare and contrast the distinctive features of this selection. Sinatra’s version opens with his vocals without waiting for the instruments to set the scene. William’s version waits for the strumming of guitar and then opens with ‘Moon River’ (Williams, 2010). His opening is not sad at all, Sinatra’s opening bears a sad connotation to it. Sinatra’s version does not have the strumming sound that creates a happy mood in William’s performance. There are plucking sounds with the ‘pick’ of the guitar that turn to flamingo style at 17 seconds into the song. The melody of the two performances is different from each other. Sinatra’s song has acoustics and strings to create the melody (Sinatra, 2011). William’s song has acoustics but lighter strings to create the same effect (Williams, 2010). The strumming is constant with the melody while Sinatra’s version has different style of guitar playing, strumming of Spanish guitar is almost absent from it. William’s performance enters into that energetic loud voice at about 40 seconds into the song with the line ‘I’m going your way’ (Williams, 2010). The beginning of the song ‘Moon River’ is different from Sinatra’s version as the first word Moon has a high tone and then a low tone of River to complement the happy strumming of the guitar. Sinatra says out both words out loud but with the sad tone, that gives the feeling of isolation. The performance by Andy William has more harmony than Sinatra’s. There are two occasions when a choir like harmonious backup vocals are added to William’s voice (Williams, 2010). Frank Sinatra sings the whole song alone. The pitch, tone, notes and chords sing in unison, Sinatra’s version has more variation in it, which adds to the mystery of the song. The ‘vertical part’ of the song is evident in William’s version. It is different from the melodic line. On a similar note, the counterpoint is very small to detect and distinguish from the harmony in William’s song. Sinatra’s version does not have the counter point. The musical form of the two songs is almost similar. The slight variation in vocals (especially Sinatra’s) gives his performance a unique sad taste. The human backing vocals in William’s performance create the climax of the song and it does not betray the happy mood of the song. The rhythm of the two songs also sets them apart. William’s version has the strumming guitars that give it a metronomic rhythm, coupled with the way he utters every last word of a line ‘my huckleberry friend, Moon River and me’. The phrase Moon River from the backing vocals also helps create the rhythm as it is repeated often towards the end of the song. The way Sinatra utters the last word of a line is also on a light tone but with sad tonality; ‘my huckleberry friend, Moon River and me’. The use of strings in Sinatra’s song also help create the feeling of loneliness (Sinatra, 2011). When he utters the word ‘two drifters’ there is another string added to the song that creates the lonely pleasure. This specific string is absent from William’s performance (Williams, 2010). Instead there is a happy sound of the mouth piece. Also the strings are not constant, that give the song some ‘beat’, unlike Sinatra, where the strings are long and dominate the song. William’s song also uses the technique of using backing vocals to aid the mood of the song. Towards the middle of the song, as soon as William is done singing a line, the listener expects the strings to replace his voice to keep the song going. Instead, the backing vocals repeat the chorus of the song and sing as a form of ‘happy ending’. So, as soon as William’s voice fades, it is replaced by the rising voice of the backing vocals. Sinatra’s song uses sharp violin sound in it. It creates the distinct melody of his performance. The strings dominate the song so much that at one point they give the impression that they have drowned the guitar plucking. The song begins and ends with this same plucking sound. As if the role of the strings and the violin is to create the climax and give the song a strong taste. The listener perceives that the last part of the song will have the same flamingo style of guitar playing but that is absent, instead, the strings come into play. The brush sound of the drum creates the effect of the metronome in Sinatra’s performance. Which comes after every second, while the sharp violin is very fast and fills the spaces between the brushing metronome. But oddly, it does not create the rhythm that is present in William’s performance. Probably it is because of the powerful vocals of Sinatra that are deeper and low pitched than William’s. There is gentleness in William’s voice, while Sinatra creates such an image in the listeners’ minds as if he is walking all alone on a dark road with nothing to accompany but the moon, which is a lonely picture. William creates an image that no matter what the world throws at him, he always has his moon river beside him. It feels more like a support than the ‘only solace’, the taste hard to miss in Sinatra’s song. The differences in the use of wind instruments also sets the two performances apart. The quality of the musical note is different. The wind instrument in William’s song is shriek or has a higher pitch, Sinatra’s version is a deeper sound or a lower pitch. Which takes away the happy mood of the song. Both performances are different but originate from the same composition. Both songs are almost of same length despite Sinatra’s extended delivery of words. Regarding the listener, if he/she is feeling lonely it would be better to listen to Sinatra’s version. It will create a sense of belonging that there are others, who feel lonely and have only inanimate objects like Moon River to accompany them. If the listeners want the taste of a happy ending, they better listen to William’s performance as it delivers the desired flavor. It is pleasantly surprising how two performances of the same composition can be so different just with a little rearrangement. It also reflects on the suppleness of the lyrics. Exact same words can be used to deliver two different emotions. The song Moon River can be sung in support of having such a powerful company or a cry out of loneliness for having the only company. The aim of this composition was not to equate the two performances to rate one better. The paper analyzed how subtle differences in music composition creates such distinct effect in the listeners. References Roberts, David. British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. 2006. Print. Williams, Andy. "Andy Williams - Moon River (1970)." YouTube. N.p., 2010. Web. 6 June 2014. Sinatra, Franck. “Frank Sinatra – Moon River.” YouTube. N.p., 2011. Web. 6 June 2014. Read More