Giacomo Puccini

There were a lot of composers that impacted or influenced other composers, one after another. Some of the most famous composers are Hector Berlioz, Fryderyk Chopin, Robert Schumann, Franz Liszt, Richard Wagner, Giuseppe Verdi, Anton Bruckner, Giacomo Puccini, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, and Johannes Brahms. Another famous and influential artist was Gustav Mahler. He…

Giacomo Puccini was an Italian composer born in 1858 and is known to have put a considerable amount of thought into creating the mood and literary components of his librettos (Kamien, Roger Music An Appreciation p.280). Richard Wagner was a German composer born in 1813 to a theatrical family (Kamien, Roger Music An Appreciation p. 289). Both of these composers are famous for their operas and are from the Romanic Period. Their compositions, La Boheme and Die Walkure, share the characteristics of…

The Romantic Period or Romanticism was a development in literature, music, and art that originated in Europe around 1800s. It was characterized by works that mirrored individual uniqueness, self-expression and emotions. In the musical scene, this period was seen in expansive symphonies, passionate songs and superb piano music. Compositions in this time showed intense energy and passion. It also drew inspiration from literature and art. There are a handful of composers who became known in the…

Extra Credit On September 30th I attended my second SWIC Music Recital at the Schmidt Art Center. The venue for the afternoon recital was held in the same gallery room as my first experience. The rooms plain walls were adorned with art of varying mediums, in the front of the hall sat a white grand piano on parquet floors, played by Professor Gail Long, the only accompaniment for the day’s performers. This recital difference from the first event was rather than professors performing for…

In the play M.Butterfly, David Henry Hwang uses a relationship between Rene Gallimard, a french diplomat, and Song Liling, originally thought to be an actor but is then revealed to be a Chinese spy, to create a tragedy. After Gallimard falls in love with Song and separates from his wife he learns that Song is, in fact, a man. The audience’s opinion of his refusal to accept that his lover could be another man allows for several interpretations of Hwang’s reasons for writing this piece and what…

On Nov.4, I attended a concert from SJSU called “Listening Hour”, which is a casual-dressed concerts since most audience—students and professors from SJSU are not dressed. Basically It is a quite delightful concert in a relaxing and joyful phenomenon. As audience, I believe I’m a perceptive listener since I’m the combination of casual and critical listener. During yesterday’s concert, I made some comments on different performers(vocals) from perspectives of emotion, skills, and stage presence.…

While producers of operas often cast extraordinary singers and performers, it is quite difficult to find the appropriate actress to portray Carmen and Don Jose. Unexpectedly, Jennifer Johnson Cano appeared to be a good fit for the role, both in beauty and voice, though not ethnicity. Her gift in performance was clear in her commanding presence upon the stage and she was quite appropriate for the role of the femme fatale. Aided by theatrical elements and her role, it was clear the audience could…

In recent years, musicians have routinely used their voices in efforts to support or protest politicians and their policies. Some artists choose to release public statements in support of or decrying political candidates, while others choose to support or decry candidates by penning or dedicating songs to them. Oftentimes, especially in this past Presidential election cycle, musicians have denied political candidates permission to use their music in campaigning efforts. Some of these artists may…

This era reflected on late Romantic period ideas as well as provided different cultures and realism to music. Composer Giacomo Puccini composed the opera Madame Butterfly which provided a Japanese style to the piece. The Impressionist period was characterized by dissonance and provided ninth chords to music. Dubussy’s: Prelude to “The Afternoon of a Faun” is an Impressionist…

David Henry Hwang’s M. Butterfly, was first written in 1988 and his work was inspired and he was influenced by Giacomo Puccini’s opera Madame Butterfly and it is based on a true story. David Henry Hwang as a first generation Chinese American being born in California on August 11, 1975, the writer of the three-act play M. Butterfly was a son of Chinese immigrants, his father was from Shanghai and his mother was an ethnic Chinese from the Philippines. His father immigrated to Oregon during the…