Dick Van Dyke

Serenade in C The first notes of Tchaikovsky’s Serenade in C rose sweetly rom the orchestra pit, muffled only slightly by the rustling of the the curtain and the colorful stage lights began to dim. This was it. After months of long and painful hours of rehearsal, it was finally opening night. Her pointe shoes were freshly coated with rosin and her hair neatly slicked back into a tight bun sitting on top of her head. Chin up, toes pointed, legs straight, back arched, she whispered to herself as…

Both of these concerts are undeniably different in atmosphere, sound, and eloquence; however, they do have one common factor. This common factor is the musicality they bring to their audience as well as the joy that is exuberated throughout the performance. The first virtual concert I watched entitled “Slatkin Conducts Appalachian Spring” was not a traditional band much like the other virtual concert entitled “Dr. Ralph Stanley and The Clinch Mountain Boys”. Appalachian Spring started out soft…

Franz Schubert was born on January 31, 1797, in Himmelpfortgrund near Vienna Austria. He was an Austrian composer. He himself wrote six hundred secular vocal works, seven complete symphonies, operas, sacred music and a large body of chamber and piano music. His appreciation was limited to a relatively small circle of admirers in Vienna. Schubert’s father, Franz Theodor Schubert, was a school teacher; his mother was what we call a modern day “stay at home mom.” Franz had three older brothers…

Fidelio An Opera by Ludwig van Beethoven "Fidelio," opera in two acts, by Ludwig van Beethoven. Produced in three acts, as "Fidelio, oder, die eheliche Liebe" (Fidelio, or Conjugal Love), at the Theatre on the Wien, November 20, 1805. Revised and given at the Imperial Private Theatre, March 29, 1806, but withdrawn after a few performances. Again revised and successfully brought out May 23, 1814, at the Kärnthnerthor Theatre (Theatre at the Carinthian Gate), Vienna, Paris, Théâtre Lyrique,…

Mohamed Hegy Ms. Thorne Music 1010 Hans Zimmer This paper will be about the famous German composer Hans Florian Zimmer. First I will talk about some basic info on his background. Hans Zimmer is 56 years old and he is a world renowned composer born in Frankfurt, Germany. Hans never really had any musical lessons or training. Hans really is self- taught. He knows how to play at least 6 different instruments fluently. This is mainly because of his father's death. At such a young age Hans had to…

The Starry Night painting by Vincent Van Gogh was painted in 1889. It was an oil canvas of the night sky. Van Gogh was a fanatic for night time and showed that in this painting. In Starry Night, the light is shining bright with energy and life, with a very quiet village below. Van Gogh put the cypress tree in his painting to connect the earth and sky, some say that he used the tree to reflect his own thoughts about death. Van Gogh depicted a lot of darkness in this oil painting, but made it seem…

Harry Partch has undoubtedly always followed his own muse when it came to music. Whether it be thinking outside of the box in creating a new music scale or inventing new instruments. Partch is best known for his philosophy of music. He views music as having two “givens”, but his most famous theory is that music is separated into two independant and distinct poles: there is abstract and there is corporeal. According to Partch, music whether it is “good” or “bad” has two God-given aspects. The…

The Importance of Shape-Note Notation: Past and Present The art of producing music is based solely on its musical notation. The conductor, musicians, and singers each rely on musical interpretation in order to produce the appropriate and desired sound. Throughout musical history, many different forms of musical notation were created in order to help musicians and singers read their music with ease in order to create the most understanding. Two of the most important forms were created in the…

Brian Landrus, a true prodigy in the art of playing deep-toned woodwind instruments, governs an amazing orchestra on Generations, a solid work sparkling with thoughtful arrangements and unusually fetching sounds. The band lineup includes illustrious artists known for their creative contemporary vein such as flutist Jamie Baum, trombonist Alan Ferber, trumpeter Ralph Alessi, tuba player Marcos Rojas, violinist Mark Feldman, vibraphonist Joe Locke, bassist Lonnie Plaxico, and drummer Billy Hart,…

Vincent van Gogh The artist I have selected is Vincent van Gogh. Vincent Willem van Gogh was born on March 30th, 1853, in Holland. Vincent was the oldest surviving child of Theodorus and Anna van Gogh. Vincent was a very common name in the van Gogh family. His grandfather, his uncle, and a still-born brother who was born a year to the day before him were all named Vincent. Much like his father, Vincent was one of 6. There was Vincent, two brothers, Theodorus “Theo”, Cal, and three…