Guillame De Vitry: Ars Nova

“The Elizabethan Period was the age of the Renaissance, of new ideas and new thinking” (Alchin). It was a time of many advances in a large variety of fields. Some of the most notorious advances during this time were in the field of science. Overall, the most well-known revolutions in science of the Elizabethan Era are attributed to the Scientific Revolution, which brought about many changes, especially in astronomy, physics, and mathematics, and innovations, which had a strong impact on the way of life during this time.

The length of this movement itself (691 measures) is as long as a whole symphony in the previous generation and it is what made this movement ‘heroic’. Beethoven treated the main melody in this movement like a character in a drama. Beethoven started an unusual trend in the exposition by letting the cello play the pastoral theme which outlines an E-flat major triad. The triple meter is another bizarre trait, yet when it’s combined with the tempo of this movement; it reminds the listener of Deutsche peasant dance. The primary theme (see fig. 1.4) underwent several thematic transformations in this movement, first being treated in rising sequences. The ‘antagonist’ leaping figures (see fig.1.4) outline accents on weak beat, giving the whole section a sense of metrical disruption. The second theme appeared in B-Flat major, followed by a closing

The introduction part of the first movement started with a moderately slow tempo of Andante with accompaniment of violin sound. It then continued with a solemn music of brass chord which depicted the conflict between the two families. Then, there was one repetition of the sequence before it went to a heavy, angular march theme music accompanied by a dull trombone sound, which replaced the mood into a rapid tempo of Allegro with a shifting in the melody of around an octave higher, and a louder dynamic.

My immediate response to Audrey Flack’s Marilyn (Vanitas) is awe and curiosity. It is a beautiful work of art with vibrant colors and interesting still life items. The painting is realistic but also has a surreal quality. The image of a young smiling carefree Marilyn Monroe elicits reverence, yet also sadness. Monroe is an iconic figure yet her tragic existence and early demise contribute greatly to status as an icon.

the essay will also analyse how the opera as an entirety critiques the social order of

Instruments are introduced at the beginning of new sections, such as the pre-chorus and chorus.

It features two main themes, plus many melodic episodes. The structure - in A-B-A form - is clearly identifiable through the themes that mark each of the sections: the lyrical melody that opens the work, the exciting piu animato that ends with a demanding cadenza, and the final recapitulation that is followed by a cheeky and vivacious codetta that brings the work to a dramatic close. Possessing a memorable melodic theme, the piece tests the performer through the unending phrases, virtuosic c and the resultant nimble fingerwork required. It has remained one of the great standards amongst the

First of all, the piece is quite interesting as a prelude – an introductory piece of music as it start off with dynamic and vibrant sounds that include the whole ensemble. This piece is structured as a three-part or ternary form which consists of ABA’ form. The idea of this piece is mainly act as an introductory of a story because this piece is only an excerpt from a bigger orchestral performance. From what I have heard, the solo performance is mainly comprise of the woodwind instruments in part B that indicated the slight sign of relief and calmness. The piece has a lot of variation where the composer include different timbres and dynamics such as the high dynamic structure during the first and the last part with the associating crashes of cymbals. The piece comprise of many musical instrument particularly string, brass, and woodwinds. The composer also use repetition in composing as the first part is repeated at the end of the piece, but with more sophisticated dynamics and timbre. In my opinion, the piece by Richard Wagner is a very good example for the topic of Basic Musical Concept that introduce many essential parts like referential listeners and structure of

It was during this visit that Schütz made the acquaintance of Claudio Monteverdi. It was here that Schütz learnt about the new declamatory style that Monteverdi was seen to be pioneering. Schütz had a work of Symphonie Sacrae published in Venice in 1629, which were composed in this new declamatory style called monody. In this we can see the sudden change from Schütz’s original style of composing polychoral works to this new style. Schütz’s Symphonie Sacrae are scored for up to three voices, along with varied parts for winds and string as well as continuo accompaniment. It was this style that Schütz would bring back to

It is forceful and heavy and is very different to the accompaniment of the first section. The accompaniment has a sudden crescendo from the pianissimo of the first section to the mezzo forte of the second section, which shocks the audience. The harmonies are also more chromatic and dissonant, adding to the unease and discomfort felt, both by the character and the audience. In bar 23, instead of the dyads, the left hand begins playing octaves while the right hand plays chords, making the piece feel more menacing. The crescendos, diminuendos and sforzandos in the accompaniment, and the harmonies accurately portray the second and fifth stanzas of the poem, where the character is pulled from his lovely dream and sees his reality, where it is cold and he is alone. This thus explains why section A and B have such contrasting musical

The opening of the movement is in A major and remains primarily diatonic in its harmonic content, with only the occasional passing tone. The primary theme is played twice having a four-bar transition in between each quotation (Example 2). The harmonic movement of the opening thirty-one bars is primarily the tonicization of A major through a [V to I] progression. A half cadence is then used at bar thirty-two to make a modulation to the five chord: E Major.

In his work “The Underdogs”, Mariano Azuela is able to master the spirit of villismo regarding both its theoretic, underlying principles as well as the movement’s subsequent physical manifestations. Though significant characters conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the humble agrarian spirit central to villismo’s origin, characters in this text also exhibit the disruptive, callous behavior that is more characteristic of the federalist forces and dictatorships they aimed to unseat. Moreover, Demetrio’s degenerating understanding of the reason he’s fighting, coupled with his few instances of immorality, symbolizes the collapse of villismo morality into its culminating bandit-ridden reality.

There were many musical elements heard throughout these pieces and it was interesting to hear how they varied in each song and suite. In Intermezzo, it began with a quieter violin solo melody creating a monophonic texture. Soon after, it became accompanied by the other violins and cellos, then the full ensemble came in creating a moderate, flowing melody at about mezzo forte and switching to a polyphonic texture. Next, there was a harp solo at forte with many crescendos and decrescendos. The full ensemble enters again raising the dynamics to forte before decrescendoing and slowing down to end with a held note and final tone. The first movement of the Swan Lake Suite, Scene, which began with the violins playing with an oboe solo on top. The oboe was playing various crescendos and decrescendos at a mezzo piano dynamic and the tempo was moderate. This ends with the high woodwinds playing a string of the melody, passing it to the low brass with the strings very quietly in the background and then what seemed to be a diminuendo. The second movement of the Swan Lake

This piece has three movements, Allegro moderato, Adagio di molto, and Allegro ma non tanto. This piece starts off with a slow and expressive solo by the soloist, Alexi Kenney. The change in dynamics, the use of vibrato, and other techniques enhanced his solo. The orchestra then plays with a homophonic texture with some tempo changes. A few fast solos and a few slow ones followed.

Music exists in every known cultural group of the world and it is likely to have existed among the ancient ancestral communities. Music may have started in Africa, having existed for at least 55,000 years before evolving into an essential constituent of human life. Different people have different perspectives towards music. For instance, some may take music as jazz set, an orchestral symphony, an electronic beat or even a simple thing as the chirping of birds. Music has both positive and negative effect on humans and it depends on how it is applied. There are several theories that regard where and when the music originated. The historiographers pointed out that there are different periods of music with each period having its own characteristics, its composers, its instruments, its rhythm and significance to the existing music today. The first three periods; Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque are expounded in this essay. The periods span through different times albeit some overlapped one another. The essay also focuses on the common factor that triggered the existence of the music periods and its impacts on each period.