Timpani

Is it possible to recreate a historical event through music? Daniel Bukvich attempts this very feat in his piece Symphony No.1(In Memoriam, Dresden, 1945). This piece of music has been the topic of many discussions in the musical world, and I’m sure that it would be a hot topic in the philosophy world as well. In particular, I think that Aristotle and Leo Tolstoy would have a lot to say about this piece. Aristotle’s definition of art focuses on humans’ ability to mimic real life and create a…

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 principal horn player of the Munich Court Orchestra. So it is no surprise that Richard’s first concerti would be one that…

Hetman, the person of highest military rank in the country. In the first movement of his symphonic poem, Liszt describes the journey of Ivan through the vast steppes. The main theme is played by the string section, which disturbed and changed by the timpani beats, probably to suggest the falling of the horse. Liszt also uses some musical themes similar to the traditional songs of the Cossacks, which are especially pronounced at the time when the Cossacks are supposed to appear it the story.…

the melody sounds sweet and hopeful. The melody builds from there and ends with a very strong cadence. From there a very dissonant, dramatic melody starts up that paints the picture of being caught outside in a storm and the use of the cymbal and timpani help escalate the feeling. The cycle through the feelings of turmoil, hopefulness and then turmoil again relate to the storyline of the Prince at the dance only thinking of the Princess, thinking that he has found her and then releasing that he…

On Friday September 30th at 7:30pm in Weill Hall I watched the show called “A Concerted Effort.” The show was a collaborative effort between Jerome Fleg’s Santa Rosa Junior College Orchestra and Alexander Kahn’s Sonoma State Symphony Orchestra. The Sonoma State Music Director Alexander Kahn gave the introduction. Kahn in his intro explained how he collaborated with Jerome Fleg’s Orchestra for years. Khan also named each of soloist’s performing in the show. He mentioned how each of the two…

(Palin, 1994; Etymotic Research, 2016) reported protective hearing devices are requisite for musical instruments that produce sounds over 80 dB (i.e., viola, violin, bassoon, oboe), over 90 dB (i.e., clarinet, Euphonium, French horn, mellophone, timpani), and over 100 dB (i.e., alto saxophone, bass drum, cymbals, flugelhorn/bugle, flute, piccolo, snare drum, tenor saxophone, trombone, trumpet/cornet, tuba/contrabass). As Strasnick et al. (2007) reported, profound deafness is at 120 dB; therefore…

Xinzhu (Zoe) Ma Music History II March 25th, 2016 From the Old To the Folk: Dvorák and Haydn On a chilly Friday night, Nichole and I went to the Ohio Theatre for the concert featuring music by Dvorak and Haydn. The solemn air swelling in the street and the dazzling atmosphere in the concert hall supplemented my expectation towards the concert; when we finally sat on our seats, I couldn’t wait for it to start. The concert includes not only the works of Haydn and Dvorak, but also of a Native…

scored for piccolo (4th movement only), two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets in B and C, two bassoons, contrabassoon or double bassoon (4th movement only), two horns in E and C, two trumpets, three trombones (alto, tenor, and bass, 4th movement only), timpani (in G-C) and strings. I played this piece for my mom and it is not particularly her cup of tea in music, but she knows it very well. She calls it elevator music but this song is definitely no stranger to her ears. She has heard it growing…

include piccolo, 3 flutes (one doubling second piccolo), alto flute, 4 oboes (one doubling second English horn), English horn, 5 clarinets, 4 bassoons (one doubling second contrabassoon), contrabassoon, 8 horns, 5 trumpets, 3 trombones, 2 tubas, two timpani, antique…

mass of performers singing at this dynamic creates an impact that leaves the reader on the edge of their seat, ready to hear what comes next. This song is traditionally performed with the typical orchestration of Baroque music: string instruments, timpani, organ, winds, and harpsichord. These instruments tend to double the voiced part. However, many arrangements exist that call for no more instrumentation than a piano to accommodate performances of this pieces with limited resources. This song…