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…
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…
On Sunday, October 30th, I attended a live performance by the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Jacek Kaspszyk as a part of their 2016 U.S. tour. When I walked into the concert hall, there was an electric atmosphere as a crowd of people was waiting in anticipation to find their seats and settle down to enjoy the show. In order to have a better idea of what I was about to experience, I read the playbill that explained how the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra is the premiere musical…
written by Beethoven in 1802, while he was resting in Heiligenstadt (Ludwig van Beethoven 's Biography: Heiligenstadt Testament, n.d.). It was in part his will, the first of three that he wrote during his lifetime (Ludwig van Beethoven 's Biography: Heiligenstadt Testament, n.d.). The document was also a letter to his brothers, in it Beethoven revealed to them that he was deaf and told of the despair he felt because of this (Ludwig van Beethoven 's Biography: Heiligenstadt Testament, n.d.).…
Introduction to Opera Compare the characters of Carmen and Micaëla in Carmen. What are the differences between them, how is this expressed in the music, and do you think the outcome is inevitable? Introduction Bizet's Carmen is an Opera in four acts, first performed at the Opéra-Comique in Paris on 3 March with a plot based on the 1845 novella by Mérimée. Today it stands as one of the most popular french operas of all time.The Opera explores the relationship between the enchanting Carmen and…