Wolfgang Iser

Jeanie with the light brown hair (published in 1854) by Stephen Foster is performed by a tenor with piano accompaniment. The piano introduces the work with a short prelude starting on a high note then descending in conjunct intervals, briefly ascends from a low note to a note close to F. The piano then varies the prior phrase by descending from a high note with eighth notes then sustaining a note close to A. Following the prelude, the tenor begins the first section on with “I” on the high note…

George Gershwin was born on September 26, 1898, in Brooklyn, New York. George The son of Russian-Jewish immigrants, George began his foray into music at age 11 when his family bought a secondhand piano for George’s older sibling, Ira. George was a natural talent with piano so eventually he began studying with the noted piano teacher Charles Hambitzer and impressed him so much that he wrote a letter saying that he found the new pupil who will make it successful and he was a genius. Gershwin…

George Gershwin was born on September 26,1898 in Brooklyn,New York. George started focusing more on his music when he turned 10. Gershwin had a natural talent but he needed to get mentors in order to fully flourish in his talent. Charles Hambitzer, was one of his mentors. He was a noted piano teacher. Some of the other mentors he studied under were: Henry Cowell, Wallingford Riegger, Edward Kilenyi and Joseph Schillinger. Gershwin dropped out of school at age 15. Gershwin played in several New…

EARLY VERDI In his early works, Verdi was known for using canons and fuges and also to have written vocal music, band music and chamber works. In his early opera he uses standard elements of Italian opera content of the period. Amongst the essential elements are the aria, the duet, the ensemble, and the finale sequence of an act. The aria format, involved three sections, a slow introduction, marked typically cantabile or adagio, known as the cavatina, a tempo di mezzo that might involve chorus…

Jesua Calderon John Phillip Sousa was not just a musician he was a great one. He thought all about the kinds of bands he wanted to do and were popular during that time. He also turned into a band conductor. One more thing that happened was that he became a well known musician. Never underestimate your dreams no matter what the cost. Sousa decided to look over the type of bands he wanted to do. Once he decided that, he named his band the “Sousa Band”. He also made it sound like a…

“No Place Like London,” Act 1, scene 1 from Sweeney Todd by Stephen Sondheim The orchestra enters with a full and resonant timbre, sounding the melodic theme “No place like London,” twice. The second echo ends on a peculiar chord, unresolved. The first soloist’s timbre is bright, energetic and full of hope, in contrast to the second soloist’s timbre that is dark. As the second soloist enters the music changes, the key shifting from major to minor. The second soloist sings in a lower register…

Have you ever heard of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart? Mozart is one of the greatest composers in history. Some of his famous pieces include Don Giovanni and the Magic Flute. He is so well known that a film was based on the life of Mozart called Amadeus. In the film Amadeus, it contains a story line that is not completely true because it is historical fiction. In the film Antonio Salieri was the Court Composer to Emperor Joseph II. In real life Salieri and Mozart were never close but this film…

The concert attended was An Evening of Opera Arias and Scenes, at Nightingale Concert Hall, on October 10, 2016. The environment of the concert was informal for most of the audience dress wise, but the performers were fairly formal with their attire. The stage was very simplistic. It was just a plain white background with large white squares and a dark grand piano. The performers were Jamie Flora, Olga Perez Flora, Chris Langton, Albert R. Lee, Helen Lee, and Suzette Thoeni as the…

Writing Assignment 1 According to the article, “What would Handel do? Historically informed performance, then and now” written by Matthew Lynch, Lynch states that HIP or Historical informed performance was established by Arnold Dolmetsch, who built, published, and worked with music which extends back into the late 19th century. Lynch mentions that HIP movement was developed as people wanted to rediscover, learn the technique, play (on the original instruments) and listen to old music. However,…

One of my favorite songs is Vienna, by Billy Joel. I like the message of slow down, you have your whole life. After the second verse there is an interesting accordion solo. The piano runs going down keeps it interesting while still building anticipation for the second line of the chorus. The short rests make the rhythm interesting. The vocal flourishes at the end of each verse provide a smooth transition into the chorus or next verse. The instrumentals do a good job of keeping the listener in…