Mensural notation

For this assignment, I had the challenge of analyzing the attributes and meaning behind Mozart’s Marriage Of Figaro - Overture. Something that I found very interesting was that there isn’t much repetition throughout the song. There are about 7 or 8 different ideas that are present in the entirety of the song, all very different from each other. It took me a little while to notice because all of the ideas fade into each other so masterfully. To begin, the piece begins with a lot of instruments…

Songwriter is a job where you sit down in your office or anywhere and create songs for singers to sing. It all started centuries ago when music was discovered. People realized they need people to create lyrics for singers to sing, without songwriters they’ll won’t be any music because believe it or not but songwriters are important as much as singers or probably even more important, because without them then the singer won’t be able to sing anything. Not everyone has the talent to write songs…

When I was first presented this task I questioned my ability to describe, and fully understand music. I have had a love for music since I was born, and have been playing it consistently since the age of five. I played alto/soprano saxophone in band for over eight years, and was drum major my senior year of high school. Not once in any of my experiences of living through music have I ever questioned my understanding of it, until that is, I was asked to describe and analyze pieces in the form of a…

The IV Ciclo Nordestino Op. 43 In order to understand the IV Ciclo Nordestino Op. 43, it would be empirical to understand Nobre’s first three piano cycles. “According to Bernardo Scarambone, “Ciclos Nordestinos” are Cycles from Northeast Brazil, where Nobre was born and spent part of his life. Nobre had as main goal to preserve his cultural identity as a composer. The first “Ciclo Nordestino Op. 5 was composed in 1959 and dedicated to Mozart de Araújo who was a Nobre’s friend.” The…

The song “Better Than This” is performed by my favorite country artist, Hunter Hayes. The song is about how Hunter knew he was born to do something great, and he takes action to pursue his dream in music. He talks about the complications he went through, and he knows it will all turn out in the end. This song taught me that chasing your dream is not a clear and easy path; you have to be able to stand up to the complications “Better Than This” is mostly made up of approximate rhymes, like born…

This investigation will debate the following question: To what extent was the impact of WWI on classical music? The time periods that I will be looking at are between 1900-1930 to really see the differences in music composition before, during, and after the war. The first World War changed what classical music sounds and looks, with many composers dying in battle or left unwillingly scarred. Some pieces of music were composed with the emotions that composers captured from the war, while others…

When looking at musical piece from a deeper perspective than just how it sounds, it is easy to observe that the piece is telling a story most of the time. Other times, it is much more difficult to analyze the piece from a storytelling perspective. For example, the messages of songs without lyrics are understandably harder to interpret. Looking at music from that perspective shows how music can be identified as a narrative. A theory developed by Walter Fisher called narrative paradigm explains…

Ever since the 1700's people have struck a key on an instrument which in turn makes this little hammer strike the corresponding string to create a sound. This instrument is known as the piano. With 88 different keys on the piano you can imagine just how many melodic sounds it could create. But how did the piano come to be? Or better yet, who created the piano you may wonder. Well, it all began with an Italian keeper of instruments named Bartolomeo Cristofori. When harpsichord manufacturers…

Absolute vs. Program Music Paper I honestly believe both sides have good points, but I like absolute music more. Think about it if you have program music that voices only instruments and lacks imagination or inspiration. This kind of music also most times just sounds like instruments playing which is drab. On the other hand, you have absolute music which often uses tonal colors of musical instruments to imitate sounds. These sounds can often be of everyday things or noises you would hear. For…

1) Apple Pay In the spring session of 2014 apple released apple pay to provide a seamless transfer of money between two parties. This was a move to position apple to further pursue further transactions without the need to pull out a spate card. In the future it is hope that apple pay would act also like a security card, and transport capabilities that can be used to access buildings and transport options. Apple pay in the meanwhile has to further adapt and conform to counteract fraudulent and…