Musical fountain

At 7:30 in the evening on Tuesday, October 4th, the Northern Michigan University music department’s Jazz band held a concert at Reynolds Recital Hall on campus. The music was surprisingly quite varied compared to what I had expected and the musicians were clearly talented. The entire performance was very impressive and it was neat to see fellow students performing and displaying such skill. Ultimately, I was glad to have attended the concert, despite the fact that I don’t particularly enjoy jazz…

through contrasting situations during the 1920–1940 that is reflected in the development of musicals. The first decade is reflected for economic welfare causing Immigration attraction. Thus, the context allowed the development of new talents and developments on musical entertainment. Genres like operetta achieved an enormous popularity, this achievement provided a robust background for the formation of new musicals. New talents that had a Jewish formation emerged at this time, exponents such as…

Orchestra. A harmonious branch of music where melodies flow from the hollow bodies of violins, violas, cellos, and basses. A thin wooden baton is swung wildly, conducting dramatic notes from famous compositions. Tunes fill the room as hopping heels and tapping toes go “Thump” Thump” “Thump”. Heads bob and torsos sway in unison, like puppets bound to dancing strings that were hung by the conductor. I made a rotten decision. I had no doubt about it when I clicked open my sister’s text. “Did you…

Throughout the Adagio movement of Brahms’ Piano Trio No. 1 in B Major, we are presented with several different juxtaposing textures, each offering a new perspective with its experience. The dialectic forces of this movement could also be found within layers of Image A. The antiphony at the onset and again in later references can be heard as soft (in a texture sense), open, and even vague in its harmonic and rhythmic structure. The instructed una corda gives an airy and empty quality to the…

“Here comes those eyes… There goes my ability to breath. Those legs are walking her to me! Tell me I ain’t dreaming… Here comes that smile…,” drifted the words of the song lazily through the air from the wimpy speakers of my battered phone, prompting me to perk up and tune in to the playful music of Chris Rice. The upbeat, yet somehow still quite mellow tune, was incredibly catchy. Musically the song was interesting; it was full of groovy pauses and a soothing, pulsing rhythmic guitar that gave…

wonderful book about the 1967-68 Broadway Theatrical Season written by William Goldman, The Season, that does an excellent job explaining some of the more mysterious tropes of Broadway. One should also be well-versed in particularly famous plays and musicals, as understanding important theatrical work informs much modern theatre. In order…

When you hear the word band when related to music, what do you think of? Is it a small group of friends playing in a garage, or a huge group of people putting on a concert at school? Merriam Webster defines a band as “a group of persons, animals, or things; especially: a group of musicians organized for ensemble playing.” To finish out the semester I went to one last concert, the SIUE Wind Symphony and Concert Band. The opening piece of the night Where Never Lark or Eagle Flew by James Curnow.…

Sometimes, people have a lot more to tell than they do to say. Wait, what? When you compose music, you tell a story, not just say it. There’s meaning. That’s why I think composing music would be the perfect career for me. It’s diverse, satisfying, and worry free. Composing music is like making art; anyone who wants to, can accomplish it. The music industry is based all around the world so location is never a problem. That’s what makes composing music so diverse. Anyone can do it! Even the…

school acapella choir and a guitarist and a bassist and a drummer and a bagpipe player. I went to church children’s choir practice every Wednesday afternoon with my little sister. I participated in elementary school choir. I auditioned for every musical and was cast each time. However, I never realized how deeply music and performance were rooted in me. I grew up assuming I would do something in music because it was such a large…

The trumpet is an instrument that many ensembles use for its versatility. A composer may write for a bright, high sound for the new salsa chart, or a composer may choose to write for a warm, dark orchestral composition. This opportunity would not be this accessible without the help of three individuals, Joseph Haydn, Johann Nepomuk Hummel, and Anton Weidinger. Their influence on changing the trumpet greatly changed the future of the instrument and the music. The instrument was revolutionize, as…