Timbre

Americanization was a nativist movement which sought to erase the histories of immigrants and mold them in the image of the original anglo-american elite. The melting pot theory saw difference as an impediment to American greatness and hoped to eliminate the features of immigrants from southern and eastern Europe which did not correspond to traditional protestant ethic. Therefore Americanization was a thinly veiled attempt to impose cultural hegemony and reproduce the ruling order, in addition…

Jazz has always been revolutionary. From its early beginnings as ragtime and blues, this music has swept the nation. Before jazz, “white” music dominated the United States, but soon enough classical music and folk songs were being replaced by songs that pushed the boundaries of music. African rhythms and hymns had taken flight and radically changed music in America by creating jazz. Music, as the world knew it, had been traded for something encompassing a whole new set of rules that began to…

The Baroque and Classical eras of music were both amazing periods full of musical genius and ingenuity that has made them go down in history as some of the most influential time periods for music composition. Among some of the most praised and defining pieces from those time periods include Dido’s “Lament” from Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas” from the Baroque period, while pieces such as “Queen of The Night” from W.A Mozart’s “Magic Flute” exemplify the Classical period. These pieces both exhibit…

instead we are left uncertain whether we are hearing real conversation, imaginary dialogue, or commentary spoken by the characters. Duras’s dialogue is both lyrical and oblique. Emmanuelle Riva, who was chosen to play the woman in part because of the timbre of her voice, recites many of her lines as if hypnotised or dreaming. It is as if we were listening to a radio tuned in directly to the characters’ inner thoughts and memories. The musical speech of memory spoken by Riva and Japanese actor…

Music is my passion, I appreciate all music genres, but I favour country music. I enjoy the simplistic instrumentation as well as the timbre of country vocalists combined with the minimalist dynamic effects and sound processing that is applied to recordings, providing country music with a natural and raw sound, which I hope to replicate in the music I create throughout my studies and career. I hope to have a career in the music industry, and studying for a degree in music production is the most…

On April 21st, 2017, I went to the concert hold by Nocturne- a two years old club in Denver, and the Keith Oxman Quartet did a remarkable concert that night. The Keith Oxman Quartet is a Jazz band lead by Keith Oxman on tenor saxophone, and has Derek Banach on trumpet, Todd Reid on drums, and Jeff Jenkins on organ. Additionally, Jenkins was playing keyboard on April 21st. The Keith Oxman Quartet plays at Nocturne every Friday night between March 10th and April 28th. On last Friday evening, the…

“Tone color is described by words such as bright, dark, brilliant, mellow and rich” (Kaimen, pg. 7). Composers in the Romanic period used tone color (or timbre), to obtain a variety of moods and were constantly blending tone colors to come up with new unique sounds. No two of the same instruments truly sound the same. Also important was the tempo or basic pace of the music. The tempo in the Romantic period…

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 piano’s timbre then, the entrance of the strings functions as a focusing energy, very clearly showing us the pulse and tonic. The tone of the string is itself more vivid and precise than a piano being played una corda. The chorale in the piano serves…

On October 4th, 2016 I observed the Intermezzo Choir at the Community School of Music and Arts in Ithaca. Sarah Linfors is the conductor and music educator for that group. Sarah also has a rehearsal accompanist and two student interns, Sarah and Daniel Block. The choir is made up of students 9-13 years old. The room where rehearsals are held is a big open room that looks like an old church space. Chairs were set up for students in straight rows and a name tag was placed on each seat. The piano…

slight shows of affection (such as holding each other with friendly smiles on their faces) to represent the play they are singing from. In addition, the piano, by Chialing Hsieh, compliments the singing in a beneficial way that does not overshadow the timbre of the vocalists. It instead helps to keep in time with the rhythm of the composition and adds more variations to the tones heard. Therefore, keeping the audience well engaged and thus are reward with applause for their…