Symphony No. 94

Analysis Essay by Michael Justice For my analysis I will be talking about a piece called A Violent Encounter composed by Kow Otani. This piece of music is actually apart of the official soundtrack for a game called Shadow of the Colossus. This is an orchestral piece with some vocal accompaniment in the form of a choir. I chose this piece not only because I like it so much, but also because I believe it is such a great example of how such amazing music can be apart of a great interactive…

written in 1909. This particular piece of music helped many composers see that music could be and can be written seriously for woodwinds, percussion, and brass. A band consisted of woodwinds, percussion, and brass is also known as a concert band, wind symphony, symphonic band, and many more names. First Suite in E♭ was seen as a first step to take concert band more seriously. Gustav Holst , a man who was born in Cheltenham on September 21, 1874. And who died at age 60 in London on May 25, 1934.…

“One thing I am certain of is that, if I have done anything good in music, it was first, because of my father, and second, because of my wife,” quoted by Charles Ives. Music played a significant role Ives’ family from generations to generations which were carried down to Charles. The family oriented American composer, Charles Edward Ives (also known as Charlie) was born on October 20th, 1874 at Danbury, Connecticut to George Ives and Mary Parmelee. He spent most of his childhood with his father…

Charles Ives and the American Influence The composer that I chose to write is Charles Ives, an American composer who has been hailed as one of Americas greatest composers. Charles Ives may not be as well-known as other American composers but his work is every bit as important and influential. Much like America, Charles Ives was a blend of both traditional roots and innovation. He drew his inspiration from America’s contradictions and complexity as a society. His music had complex textures,…

The Legacy of Sondheim Since his arrival in the 1950’s Stephen Sondheim’s name has become almost synonymous with musical theater. Since his breakout role as the lyricist for West Side Story, which opened in 1957, Sondheim has gone on to contribute music and lyrics to shows such as Into the Woods, Sweeny Todd and Gypsy. His works earned him a total of eight Grammy Awards, one Academy Award, a Pulitzer Prize and eight Tony Awards, more than any other composer. Considering the span of his career,…

John Philip Sousa is one of the most famous music composers. Born in Washington D.C in the mid-1800s, this music inventor is very well known by marchers. Mr. Sousa has composed 136 military marches. Not only was he a terrific song writer, but he also invented the widely used sousaphone The son of two immigrants, John Philip Sousa was born in Washington D.C. on November 6, 1854. John was thee third of ten children and his parents’ names were Antonio Sousa and Maria Elizabeth. He began his musical…

Orchestra perform Symphony No.5 of Dimitri Shostakovich, which took place at Bunka Kainan, Tokyo, Japan in 1979. This concert was conducted by Leonard Bernstein. The concert lasted approximately 50 minutes and included varieties of instruments. Instruments to name are a large group of violins, clarinets, cellos, French horns, a harp, flutes, basses including a bassoon and oboe. I tend to hear various melodies used elsewhere either from Star Wars and or Pink Panther like melodies. The Symphony…

Prior to the 19th century, the trumpet was simply a long brass tube with a bell and mouthpiece that we refer to today as the natural or Baroque trumpet. It could only play the pitches within the harmonic series that it was keyed in. If other pieces were required, because of a key change for instance, the trumpet player had to change crooks. This lengthened or shortened the total tubing and changed the key. To add a few tones between the notes of the harmonic series, small holes were drilled in…

Nicolo Paganini was born in Genoa Italy on october 27, 1782. He died in 1840. His parents names were Teresa and Antonio Paganini. Nicolo started learning music when he was only five years old. When he was seven his father taught him how to play the violin. He attended violin classes with famous violinists. He composed his first sonata in 1790. In 1795 he went to parma but was told that they could not teach him anything. He often played 15 hours a day. in 1797 he started his concert tours. From…

I attended the Symphony Orchestra Concert on March 10, 2017 at 7:30 PM in the SJSU Music Concert Hall. It was conducted by Yair Samet, and featured a solo performance by Dr. Sarah Jones. The SJSU Symphony Orchestra performed Mozart’s Impresario Overture, his Violin Concerto No. 5 in A Major, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1 in C Major. The piece that I will be focusing on is Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1, particularly the fourth movement. During the actual concert, it was very interesting hearing…