Octave

The Petrarchan sonnet “Hap,” by Thomas Hardy, is an exploration of how life is controlled and can be explained. In the poem’s octave, the speaker envisions a life under the power of a vengeful god who……, but concludes in the sestet that in reality, life is not controlled by higher powers, malicious or not. The speaker searches for an explanation that would give purpose to his pain, but failing to find one, laments the reality of his situation, where suffering can only be explained by chance. In…

A combination of Petrarch and English sonnet conventions construct love and desire in Sir Thomas Wyatt 's “Whoso List to Hunt”. However, from Petrarch 's perspective, love is transcendent and idealizes the beloved. The poet places his love on a pedestal. Desire, on the other hand, focuses on longing and frustration. The poet 's love is unwanted and injustice (Riddell). In this essay I will examine Petrarchan conventions such as the conceit, as well as illicit, thwarted, and unrequited love, and…

The San Diego Museum of Art has a fascinating and eclectic selection from around the globe. On my tour, a number of pieces caught my eye and really resonated with me. The Coney Island exhibit captured the ambience of America’s playground, bringing observers back to its heyday in the first half of the 20th century. Among the artwork, I took particular note of Wonderland Circus Sideshow, by Edward J. Kelty, owned by Ken Harck. This 1929 film photograph illustrates the bustling scene on the…

Formally, the first movement of the Quintet is of considerable interest. The interest is generated not by a problem in determining the overall form, for that is clearly sonata form. Rather, it is in determining the exact location of the main sections and subsections within the sonata form. The sections which will most concern our discussion are the introductions, the exposition and the developmental section. I say introductions as plural as it appears actually be two sections of music. These two…

“I HATE it!” I shouted as I slammed the door violently. Baton raised. Freedom gone. The stick of ebony wood has more control than I do. I hated it. “Fast, forceful, driving, that’s how I want it. Now, let’s go. One, two, three, four!” the conductor instructed. I pressed my wiry fingers deep and hard against the ivory keys, feeling every hammer fiercely thumping against all three strings of every note; feeling my rage perfectly reflected on the hammers vigorously and promptly attacking the…

The music that I have chosen is D major Violin Concerto No.1, Op.6, composed by Niccolò Paganini. To gain a more complete understanding of the composition, first we need to check the background information of the composer. Paganini was an Italian violinist, violist, guitarist, and composer. [iii] That explains why the composition mainly uses violin throughout the whole composition. It was also noted that was one of the most famous classical music composers on the romantic era. When I first…

The novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald demonstrates that cash can degenerate a man. Set in elegant Long Island in the 1920s, Fitzgerald is by all accounts contending that in American life, as in his novel, cash oftentimes debases one's qualities. It transforms them into puppets on a string. Money controls their next move , and with only a look into the life of extravagance they never need to clear out. A normally held principle among individuals from all eras is that diligent work…

What happened today was uncalled for on his part. Why do you even let it get to your head? It’s not worth the time and effort if you ask me.” “I can’t help it.” “What do you mean by that?” “It’s true, isn’t it?” My voice echoed as my tone rose an octave. Leo was taken back by surprise, and to be honest it I think it made him anxious, “I have no dream, no goals, and no…

Musical Analysis of “The Beatles”, the self-entitled White Album The first song of the album, “Back in the USSR”, written by Paul McCartney, directly parodies and references the Beach Boys, with subtler allusions to Chuck Berry and Ray Charles. It is set in the key of A major and has a 4/4 meter. Song form consists of an intro, four verse sections, each followed by a refrain, a bridge that follows only the second and third refrains, and an outro. The melody is undoubtedly bluesy, but…

Orpheus is an extremely gifted instrumentalist and vocalist, taught by Apollo himself, who is subsequently able to charm anyone and anything to do what he wants them to. Somewhere along the way, he falls in love with a Nymph named Eurydice. He and Eurydice live a happy, loving life until a son of Apollo tries to pursue the young nymph. In her attempt to escape, she steps on a poisonous snake, gets bitten and dies. Orpheus, still infatuated with his lover, follows Eurydice to the Underworld where…