Private Concert - Assignment Example

Music Three Musical Selections from one Concert Two years ago, I had the pleasure of attending a Jazz Ensemble concert at a university that my cousin had joined. The concert was held at Tarleton State University where the audience had the advantage of witnessing Dr. Darryl White, an associate professor of trumpet, performing. I noted that during the concert, there were more than ten pieces of musicals performed. However, I only made note of three musical selections. Among the many pieces presented by the Jazz ensemble there is one particular one that I remember up to this day as the “Palestrina piece”.

The other two pieces which were also stylistically different from all the other pieces included the piece on “Ancient memories” and “Waltz for Debby”. The Palestrina piece illustrates resolution and harmony because of its dominant, 7th chord. During the 16th century, the seventh chords got created in different part, but only three of them where the dissonant 7th was prepared and resolved. During this century, harmony was as a result of horizontal voice leading. It is similar to the full 7th chord on the 2nd degree in the Palestrina piece.

The piece on “Waltz for Debby” was noticeable because of its slow beat and that there was a consonant through its entirety. An American Jazz Pianist called Bill Evans composed this piece in 1961. Throughout the piece, the trumpet, electric guitar and the saxophone were all used at different times to produce different melodies. There was an increased of the dynamics to a moderate level then to a softer level after making a decrescendo.The piece on “ancient memories” was played by Dr. Darryl White at the concert.

When it began, there were dissonant tones. The tones were within the harmony similar to that of the piano and drums. Later, the piece changed to a more constant harmony to the end of the song. The melody of the piece could also be said to be happy and relaxing in other parts of the song. Perhaps it was because the tempo in the song changed and the notes made from the trumpet were held.There was drumming in the “Waltz for Debby” piece which was part of the music. Most notably, the texture of this piece remained almost the same throughout until its end.

There was also the 1, 2, 3 pattern which was notable. In my view, the drumming made it easier for me to enjoy the piece. It also had a different genre than the other songs, which made it easier for me to remember it than other songs. The piece on “ancient memories” incorporated a lot of repetition. This led to different changes in the piece, which in my view made the song interesting to listen to at the concert. The ensemble made most of the songs very interesting to listen to, but most importantly, the three pieces did not lack any depth like I found in other songs.

What I would recommend to my friends would be the piece on “Ancient Memories”. I enjoyed it more than the others, probably because Mr. White played it with a lot of passion. It reminded me of the old movies with jazz songs that I used to watch and listen to as a child. I also noted that the diatonic modes in most of the pieces had modern tones for the minor and major keys. It made me realize that today, most composers do not conceive their creations melodically, like they used to a few centuries ago (Colebrook & ISCM Contemporary Music Education Campaign Staff, 2004).

Today, most pieces are usually done harmonically. Such creations also lead to diversification in music, which allows people to embrace music from different roots.ReferenceColebrook, C., & ISCM Contemporary Music Education Campaign Staff, (2004). Understanding contemporary music: A teaching manual for secondary and primary school teachers. Hong Kong: Chinese University Press.