Background music

siblings in the family band "Los Dinos", her not being a part of it. Selena was the lead singer in the band, A. B. Quintanilla was bass guitarist, and her sister Suzette Quintanilla would play the drums, along with some other band members that were background vocalists and her father had a part in it by writing the songs for her to sing. In fact, Selena did not even actually know the Spanish language in the beginning; she grew up speaking the English language and her father had taught her…

idea of all ethnomusicologists, which is to further understand music in its cultural context (“What Is Ethnomusicology?”). Seeger is also the director emeritus of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. The author tackled field research for the book at Mato Grosso, Brazil, during 1971 and 1982. More specifically, Seeger traveled to Brazil to study the culture of the Suya Indians, today known as the Kïsêdjê (Mengel 1). According to Seeger, music is a part of social life because musicians and their…

oratorios, liturgical music, motets, and cantatas sacred and secular. His 1712 Christmas cantata Vaticini di pace (‘Prophecies of Peace’), with its personification of abstract qualities, had political relevance as the War of the Spanish Succession came to an end. “Alma del Core” in English means Soul of my heart. It is from Act 1, scene 20, of…

Programming repertoire for an ensemble is one of the most important aspects of one’s job as a conductor or director. Not only is this facet an important quality to have, but it is also a necessary staring point on the road to a wonderful performance. In this rationale, we will elaborate on a hypothetical approach to this necessary process with an imaginary high school group. General Context The imaginary group, called the Applevalley High School Symphonic Wind Band, is an ensemble of around…

Pyramids by Frank Ocean is an essential piece of modern R&B music off of Ocean’s debut album, Channel Orange. The nearly ten minute epic can be cleanly split into two distinct parts, due to a drastic and total shift in tempo, timbre and texture at around the 4:27 mark in the piece, but Ocean’s storytelling allows the two pieces to coexist perfectly, forcing the listener to remain attentive throughout the entire piece despite its intimidating length. Ocean leaves his artistic presence all over…

Every day, I try to listen to a new piece of music. Whether it be a string group, unaccompanied choir, or even a percussion consort, I believe that by doing this, so much can be learned from just listening. About the mid-month of July, I came across this piece of music. I thought it was extremely fun and quirky at the same time! I had continued to listen to it, read some background information on the piece, and do a small amount of study on the work. When it came time to choose the piece for…

In the film The God’s Must Be Crazy directed by Jamie Uys, there are many technical elements that contribute to the theme of the movie, such as the sound, acting, and setting. The way Uys has directed the film helps the technical elements come together and connect to the theme. It is difficult but not impossible to interact and communicate with people of different societies with different technologies. A prime example would be the setting and how it contributes to the different societies.…

For this Quarter, I viewed the Deerfield Honors Band Recital on the eleventh of this month. It was a great concert that featured many soloists and groups that played some jazz pieces and marches. I heard a lot of great music and I learned a lot at the recital. The first piece I enjoyed was Fly Me to the Moon. It was performed by Zachary Klein on drums who was accompanied by Alexander Ambrose. It was written by Bart Howard in 1954 but was made famous by Frank Sinatra a decade later. Frank…

In the film Casablanca the songs played in Rick’s Cafe have incredible significance both later in the film and outside the film in the real world. When the viewer is first welcomed into the Cafe the song playing is foreshadowing for Rick unexpectedly meet Ilsa in Casablanca, and when Rick first walks into the bar the song playing foretells Ugarte’s future situation. The opening lyrics to “As Time Goes By” are proof that Rick and Ilsa are not meant to be together. When the Germans start to sing…

Donati, from a story devised by Leone, Bernardo Bertolucci and Dario Argento. The music was written by composer Ennio Morricone, who wrote the score under Leone's active…