Lohengrin: Prelude By Richard Wagner: Music Analysis

Within the first section of the theme, Fisher Tull displays the trumpet’s wide range abilities. Not only does the first measure of the solo trumpet’s entrance covers a scale of over a fourteenth (one octaves plus a minor 7th) , the first section of this works also requires the trumpet to cover over two octaves in a relative short period of time. In addition, Tull’s use of extensive phrases makes this theme unique. Throughout the theme section Tull does not rely purely on the standard eight-bar phrasing practice. The climax of the main thematic material from the theme section can be interpret as a thirteen-bar phrase. Tull keeps building the anticipation of the musical texture not only by extending the phrase, but also by increase the range and volume of the solo trumpet to reach the peak before going into

Marche Diabolique is composed by Brian Balmages. Brian Balmages is an award winning composer and has bachelor’s degree in music from James Madison University. He has composed pieces that have been performed worldwide. He has also won awards like the Albert Austin Harding award from the American School Band Directors Association.

The American director, Tim Burton has a way with manipulating lighting, camera angles, and music to highlight his quirky, yet dark style of movies.

For this assignment I chose the short film Tin Toy which is a story about toys and the fear of a baby a lot bigger than them. The main character of this short film is a little musical marching band toy sold with the box name of “Tin Toy.” The toy was introduced at the beginning of the film where he was doing his own thing to come across a baby who is giant compared to him. Tin Toy represents someone who can be scared of someone who is very largely compared to him but is not as controlled and represents a threat to the main character the tin toy.

This essay looks at the first act of Mozart’s opera buffa ‘Marriage of Figaro’ in detail,

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

The introduction of the piece is the same as that of “The Raiders March”, but with strings playing in the background. The A melody begins with the trumpet as the strings fade out (0:07). The first minute and a half of the song is played the same as that of “The Raiders March”, though due to differing sound equalization, some parts stick out more or less than they do in the original. For example, in the third repetition of the A melody, one can more clearly hear the xylophone accompanying the melody here than in “The Raiders March”. The piece begins to differ more significantly after the break following the third repetition of the A melody when the piece modulates down a half step instead of up like in the original (1:37). This fourth instance of the A melody is otherwise played the same as in “The Raiders March” until the last two bars, where it immediately jumps into what was the coda of the original piece (1:53).

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

Unity and variety is put in this piece through dynamics, timbre and pitch. The song adds variety by increasing the volume during Idea B. Idea B is unified in the piece keeping the same instruments as Idea A to keep the rhythm. The dominant instruments during Idea B introduces new sound sources and adds variety to the piece. The overall pitch of this piece is low but the piano during 2:18-3:17 gives variety by introducing a higher pitch.

On November 15, 205 at 2pm I was able to see the Rutgers Percussion Ensemble. I was very interested in this show, because I have never been able to see a group of only percussionists perform in the same space. The first piece they did was called Ionisation, which was written in 1929. There were thirteen musicians on stage playing various instruments. This song began with a rolling unpitched sound coming from four snare drums with the claves. This idea was an interesting start, because it caught the audience’s attention to really listen to what was going to happen next. Then the song, went into a lighter more atmospheric section, where there were many crescendos and decrescendos. The instruments in the piece included the chimes, maracas, timpani,

This Chaconne begins with a singing violin melody almost beguiling in its character, with a natural sense of ebb and flow that traverses numerous episodes. With the addition of double stops and chordal textures, the intensity gradually rises until it reaches the breaking point where the violin charges forward through a frenetic, virtuosic passage. The tension and register continue to rise to the point where the violin sounds as if it is screeching. The drama resolves in the brief coda as the frantic energy unwinds and the violin fades away into the

The first movement, Allegro ma non troppo, is very fiery and powerful. After an initial flourish of piano solo, the violin brings forth the main theme, a romantic, almost heroic melody. As the theme is developed fast passages create a sense of urgent drama. The middle movement is very unique because of its title Improvisation: Andante cantabile. The tranquil violin passages give the impression of improvisational material. This movement begins with a beautiful love song until a turbulent middle sections rudely interrupts its dream-like reverie. The finale, Andante-Allegro, begins with a quiet, introspective introduction in the piano alone which then leads into an exuberant Allegro. At the Allegro, the violin breaks forth with ascending, slashing passages from its lowest to its highest register, creating a sense of drama and importance. However, then comes a playfulness that sneaks into the music almost without notice. And then after a rush of virtuosic passages from both violin and piano, the sonata comes to an explosive end. There is an very interesting thing that in this movement, Strauss use the same motive with the first movement of Brahms Violin Sonata no.1. This can be considered as Strauss’s respect to

The Mexican expressionist composer Silvestre Revueltas, now well known for his incessant rhythms, wanted to change the state of authentic, Mexican-based classical music, from nationalistic folk-based sounds, to his more urgent and dissonant style of expressionism.

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.