The Piano Lesson

Introduction This paper contains a description of the sound, setting, and significance of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons performed by Janine Jansen at the International Chamber Music Festival on June 29, 2014. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzE-kVadtNw). There are four main pieces of music in this concert, each split into three sections. This was an auditory representation of the four seasons, and an attempt will be made to describe the sound, setting, and significance of this piece. Setting The…

the music. For example, in Boulez’s piece, the flute part contains multiple leaps, extended range, a plethora of accidentals, and difficult rhythms. Babbitt’s piece display similar technical challenges that Boulez’s piece does, but for soprano and piano/tape. My current musical understanding is revolved around tonal music and not atonal music, so this music is more difficult for me analyze what I hear. The music sounded choppy and it was difficult to find were each measure began. In Babbitt’s…

In class, there was a performance done by the Proteus Quartet today. The Proteus Quartet are from Rhode Island College and consists of two violinists, John Sumerlin (violin 1) and Sam Breene (violin2), a violist, Sue Culpo, and cellist, Steve Laven. On this day, this group played Beethoven's Op.18 No.6 “Scherzo: Allegro Con Brio” and Op.127 “Allegro Maestoso” , one of Dvorak’s waltzes, and Star Wars as the mystery piece. One of the pieces that was excellently performed was Beethoven's Op.18…

Whether it be French, Italian, or English Opera, it’s very dramatic. Handel’s “Piangeró La Sorte Mia” is no exception. George Frideric Handel (Georg Friedrich Händel) like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a child prodigy. Born in Halle, Germany in 1685, began studying music at the very early age of 7 under organist Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow despite his father’s disapproval. The young Handel then began composing music at the age of 10 which mostly composed of church cantatas and chamber music. From his…

He grew up in the Western Addition of San Francisco, California to Charles Hitchcock Adams and Olive Bray Adams. Adams was a very hyperactive child and was prone to frequent sickness and hypochondria. When Ansel turned 12 he became interested in piano. As the next 12 years thinking it would be music, but by 1920 he gave up music for photography. In 1916 him and his family went to the Yosemite National Park. "The splendor of Yosemite burst upon us and it was glorious... One wonder after another…

As I walked into the Brechemin Auditorium I was immediately mesmerized by the stage. I took my seat and instantly took notice of the crimson curtain and the Grand black piano shining in the spotlight. The auditorium was much smaller than I had expected, but it created an intimacy between the musicians and audience that was necessary for the performances. During Introduction and Variations on ‘Trockne Blumen,’ D.802, I could hear the pages of sheet music turn and the breaths that the flute player…

The print of art is by Marc Chagall, and is titled The Green Violinist. It was created in 1923-24. The print shows a variety of colors, shapes, and has a lot of details. The main point is the green man is the middle ground of the print as he plays the violin. Chagall created a theatrical effect by using a bright green color on his face and one of his hand as the other hand has a glove while he plays the violin. Fiddler appears to be dancing on top of the houses. In the background, there are…

Have you ever felt connected to a song the first time you listened to it? Perhaps it was the instrumental, the piano beginning that crescendos into a mighty forte by the end of the chorus, the beating of the drums soon beating in sync with your heart. Or could it be the way the performer sings as though he or she is singing directly to you? Yet it might just be the lyrics that hit you, that cut into your body like a mortician and pull out your heart. For me, the answer is yes. From the first…

the live recording with Eugene Ormandy in 1978. As the first recording of the third piano concerto, Horowitz played with many his own musical interpretations. In his 1930’s recording, Horowitz started the piece with half note equals 65, which is much slower than Rachmaninoff’s He then at bar 27, played like forte and above the orchestra, which is the opposite of what Rachmaninoff’s idea. Rachmaninoff wrote piano and legato on bar 26 and 27, which like he played in his recording. In bar 89,…

Emerging in the latter 18th and early 19th centuries, Franz Krommer was a Czech composer who went on to be considered one of the most successful composers in Vienna during his lifetime. Born in the Moravian town of Kamenice, Krommer displayed a very strong affinity for music early on and began studies in 1774, with his uncle Anton Krommer. Anton Krommer was a composer and choirmaster in Turan, and trained the young Krommer in both violin and organ to begin his musical development. Through his…