Sonata

By the Baroque we refer either to the historical period 1600 - 1750 that followed the Renaissance. The style of Baroque was a new way of expression that was born in Rome, Italy, from where it spread almost across Europe. It was characterized by a strong dramatic and emotional element, while it was mainly applied to architecture, sculpture and music, but is also found in literature or painting. The purpose of the Baroque is primarily to impress as well as exalt the person through his passions and…

In 1823, he tried once again to reach some fame, he submitted a piano sonata, which was rejected. But by the end of 1823 his composition of music was played for the Rosamunde in Vienna. In the early months of 1824, Schubert had a rough time, he has no money, he was still very ill, and he had felt like a failure. Though at…

The first Horn Concerto, Op. 11, by Richard Strauss is one of the most notorious pieces in horn literature. The concerto was written in 1882 and is a standard example of the Romantic era. Strauss created both the piano and orchestral versions, with the orchestra score calling for solo horn, two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, timpani, and strings (Steinberg). The orchestral version was premiered on March 4, 1885. Richard Struss’ father, Franz, was the…

Antonio Vivaldi. In the mid eighteenth century, from Italy it shifted to the German composers like Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel. A lot of the forms that defines the Baroque music came from Italy, such as the cantata, concerto, sonata and opera. However, there were contrasting traits depending on which country they were from.…

The Mozart Effect, which was developed by Dr. Gordon Shaw, is a theory that listening to classical music will make you smarter. Dr. Shaw’s studies have shown that listening to classical music like Mozart’s Sonata in D major for Two Pianos resulted in higher IQ test scores. When the students listened to classical music for just a few minutes prior to the test, their scores increased by as much as nine points. Dr. Shaw also tested his theory on children as well. He took a group of preschool aged…

Music has many effects on the brain. The brain’s ability to absorb and make sense of music is very complex. Regardless of musical style, when music is listened to the brain activates the regions that are involved with movement, memory, planning, and attention- which means that sound isn’t processed with ease. Music is more meaningful to it than any other sound due to it being organized, repetitive, and harmonious. Various types of music have diverse effects on the brain: classical music…

The 1st movement is kind of Sonata-Allegro form. The opining melody of the first movement was soft and slow with a touch of melancholy and I love this type. It starts with a softly-lovely flute and then the violins with strings accompanying. The violins are way up in the high part…

The Madison Symphony Orchestra is an exquisite ensemble with over 100 talented musicians. On April 2, 2016, John DeMain conducted a wonderful orchestra performance. It was held in Overture Hall at the Overture Center in Madison, WI. Garrick Ohlsson was the piano soloist that night in a Johannes Brahms piece after the intermission. The conductor came onto the stage before the show to give a brief explanation of the concert for the night and why he chose the musical selections he did, and I found…

On the night of April 18th, 2017, Ha-Eun Song preformed in her senior recital at Lee University’s Squires Recital Hall in Cleveland, Tennessee. Ha-Eun Song will be graduating from Lee University this May with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music with a focus on the violin. She held this recital for the public as a partial fulfillment of the requirements for her Bachelor of Music degree. During her hour-long performance she played music composed by Bach, Paganini, Saint-Saëns, Shostakovich, Franck,…

Chopin's Prelude Op. 28 No. 2 is a haunting moment in the film Autumn Sonata. Its disjointedness and somber melody matches Eva and Charlotte's complex relationship. Charlotte's interpretation further provides insight into her narcissistic anxiety and fear of being powerless through her explanation of Chopin's manliness and how he conceals its pain, and by how the pianist must take control of this pain in order to emerge triumphant in the song. By admitting to the “almost ugly” sound of the piece…