Leslie Van Houten

the years 1904-1909, and the love of Scriabin’s piano works showed in Prokofiev’s early piano pieces. He imitated some of Scriabin’s pianistic techniques in his early piano works like the “repeated-note arpeggios” and “wide-ranging bass”. But he soon turned to seek more radical musical language that completely departs from the romanticism, and during the years 1909-1914 he finished his composition classes and began his course to train as a pianist and conductor. It is in this time he gradually…

Mozart’s Allegro in C K5a was my choice of music for that day’s function. One of Mozart’s earliest compositions, it was a lively piece. After my name was announced, I started gliding my finger tips on the white keys, the lilting notes started wafting in the hall and mesmerized my audience that comprised of faculty of my school and my fellow students. I loved that piece; its fluidity and ease of composition exhilarated me. Each movement was perfect and the tempo quick and happy. I had played with…

Zukofsky’s great love for music as an art form to experiment with shows up as interweaving themes in his work. Consider this passage from the first chapter of his great poem “A”: “Music leaving no traces, Not dying, and leaving no traces.” (“A” 6) Zukofsky aims to explain the process of a scientific recording, through the processes of objective statements made in his work. On the other side of the coin lies creation, the ability to produce something tangible from the mere idea of it. On the…

Symbolism in Opera: The Elements of French Symbolism in the Opera Production of Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande Introduction Although a large number of research studies have been conducted on the relationship between Claude Debussy and French Symbolism, especially his opera Pelléas et Mélisande, whether his music could reflect Symbolism is still in a heated discussion. Some research has pointed out the relationship between the music and the libretto of the opera and Symbolism , ; while some…

assignment, I have chosen Vincent Van Gogh. The paintings I will write about are his “Starry Night” which may be his most well-known and possibly his last painting “Wheatfield with Crows.” I have chosen these paintings because of the importance they represent and the story behind them. In this essay, I will breakdown the paintings, compare and contrast them and give a brief background of the paintings and the artist. During the time, these paintings were drawn Van Gogh had admitted himself…

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be the center of supernatural creatures lives and their plans? I read a part two version of a book called The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith. Officially, a new vampire, Elena is learning how to live her new life after she passed away by driving off a bridge. She was lucky to have vampire blood in her system, otherwise, she would have never come back from the dead. Stefan Salvatore, her boyfriend who is also a vampire, helps Elena survive despite…

I enjoyed many experiences on our study tour to Salzburg and Vienna, but my favorite experiences were the guided visit of the Mozart House in the Vienna City Center, the tour and concert of the Mozarteum and Mozart’s opera “La Clemenza di Tito”. I really loved the guided visit of the third Mozart house we went to, the one in Vienna. Not only did it have some really interesting Mozart stuff, but I also loved the exhibition on “Rock Me Amadeus” in the basement of the house. I loved the tour guide…

All these characteristics of romanticism that were shaped by the evolutionary changes made by the composers were also appeared in the requiems of the time. Requiem was now an independent musical form; the form of the concert requiem, which replaced the traditional liturgical one. The romantic requiems were performing in the concert halls and opera stages, and that was mainly because of their extended length. Although some composers such as Gounod, Liszt, Faure and Bruckner followed the…

Widely considered to be one of the prime examples in music history besides Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is none other than Ludwig van Beethoven. Exceptionally known for being a child prodigy, struggle during his childhood, inevitable loss of hearing and also breaking out of the norms from the Classical Period and venturing out to the Romantic Era in European music, with him being the first. With no doubt, Beethoven has left his own mark on the World and is still one of the most respected and…

Timeless and inspiring music was born in the Baroque Era. Some of the most prestigious pieces from that time include Antonio Vivaldi's The Four Seasons: "Spring", George Frideric Handel's Messiah ("Hallelujah") and Water Music. All three pieces reflect the beauty of the Baroque Era and its music. Vivaldi's piece has the ability to stand on its own, but can also be used to represent all of the season's cycles when paired with his concertos "Fall," "Winter," and "Summer." Handel's oratorio Messiah…