... frantic. Within twenty measures it faded to pianissimo. During the entire piece, the dynamics ranged in and out of this spectrum. The tone color of the "cello was sharp, flighty, and eclectic while the piano represented tonal characteristics of power, joy, grace, and sorrow. The pitch of the number varied from soprano to bass although it stayed mostly in the baritone register. It was measured ... "cello would imitate each other in a counterpoint fashion. It seemed as though at times the "cello would command the piano and vice versa. The texture was definitely homophonic because of this....

• Word Count: 365
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

... be described as joyful and beautiful. The ensemble played Sonata in D major for Violoncello and Piano, Op. 102, No. 2 by Ludwig van Beethoven, Suite in C major for Solo Violoncello, BMV 10 by Johann Sebastian Bach, and Sonata in D Minor for Violoncello and Piano (1915) by Claude Debussy. The notes of each performer seemed to lean on each other and were rhythmically in sync. I also ... thought the performers did a good job with the texture of the pieces as everyone knows Beethoven and Bach are not the easiest pieces to play. There ... were three aspects of this instrumental that really ...

• Word Count: 727
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... " when it is heard. It has as many incarnations as performers and performances, each one distinctly different. A responsible performer must intimately understand each piece he will perform, not only the notes on the page, but its historical background. Several things must be understood before one can perform a piece successfully. First, a performer must analyze the piece, determine its form and harmonic ... in memorization, the analysis will give the performer direction. By identifying the form and harmonic structure of a piece, a performer can find those moments of tension and release. ...

• Word Count: 1249
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... tutors, sometimes resulting in physical abuse (Solomon 488-490)." Beethoven's first teacher was Christian Cottlob Neefe, who was a court organist. Through his teachings Beethoven produced three piano sonatas by the young age of eleven. The following year, Beethoven was placed into the court organist position. Even though he was a small child he amazed audiences with his wonderful talents when it came ... composition notebooks that " he would return time and time again to some simple little melodies, change the notes, modify rhythms, and eventually produce on of the striking themes that ...

• Word Count: 1204
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... tutors, sometimes resulting in physical abuse (Solomon 488-490)." Beethoven's first teacher was Christian Cottlob Neefe, who was a court organist. Through his teachings Beethoven produced three piano sonatas by the young age of eleven. The following year, Beethoven was placed into the court organist position. Even though he was a small child he amazed audiences with his wonderful talents when it came ... composition notebooks that " he would return time and time again to some simple little melodies, change the notes, modify rhythms, and eventually produce on of the striking themes that ...

• Word Count: 1176
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... at different times, wound up sounding good together.? The one I chose to describe is the first prelude and fugue from Bach's second book, in the key of C major. This piece includes a harpsichord, an ancestor to the piano. It begins with a pedal note, the low note that keeps ringing while others are playedaround it?. In this case, the pedal note is a low C and ... piece feel momentous. It'sas if Bach were throwing open the big doors to some enormous building.? As the song progresses, you can hear the counterpoint, including low and high notes. Once the prelude ends, there is a pause, and...

• Word Count: 828
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... an annual pension to stay in Vienna. Before Beethoven died in 1827, he wrote many symphonies and sonatas. I chose to write about Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 14, the Moonlight Sonata, or the Sonata quasi una fantasia. This sonata was composed in 1801, the 14th of Beethoven's 32 sonatas. Reportedly Beethoven once said "Surely I've written better things," in response to the popularity ... of the sonata. The first movement of this sonata, played adagio sostenuto, is fairly widely known and is taught often in piano lessons. In its entirety, the Moonlight Sonata is not what I would call his ...

• Word Count: 839
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... arias, a solo voice with an orchestral accompaniment in an opera (Forney and Machlis, A-6). She used melodies, rhythms, chord progressions, and the placement of trills carefully. By doing this she presented each character in the opera in his or her own unique way. Caccini's talented work proved that in the ... , much like other pieces of the impressionistic period. Boulanger made her music dreamy and fairy-light in many ways, using different instrumentation. Some examples are as follows: in the piece "D'un soir triste,"" she used a muted tam-tam crash, bass drums, off-beat notes on a har...

• Word Count: 1221
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... arias, a solo voice with an orchestral accompaniment in an opera (Forney and Machlis, A-6). She used melodies, rhythms, chord progressions, and the placement of trills carefully. By doing this she presented each character in the opera in his or her own unique way. Caccini's talented work proved that in the ... , much like other pieces of the impressionistic period. Boulanger made her music dreamy and fairy-light in many ways, using different instrumentation. Some examples are as follows: in the piece "D'un soir triste,"" she used a muted tam-tam crash, bass drums, off-beat notes on a har...

• Word Count: 1121
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... to be used throughout the exposition. Motif (a) being the first 4 note legato motif; (b) being the scalic quaver rise of a fifth; (c) being the staccato notes all playing the same with an appoggiatura on the last note; and (d) being the descending four note fall following that.The rise ... The brass section play a tonic pedal note throughout the first bit before playing a tonic fanfare when the music changes. As the music changes the rest of the instruments play through a short, two bar, falling sequence twice. Haydn then uses II7, V7, I where I plays an ascending scale with bass ... ...

• Word Count: 890
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... therefore I find a deeper admiration while listening to the piece. I also like the piece because my cousin and I often play the piece in a duet. (Me on guitar, my cousin on the piano or synthesized harpsichord) • I give the piece a profundity value of 8 out of 10, as I believe that all renowned classical music deserves a high profundity rating. This is due to the tremendous amount ... pieces. This piece in particular illustrates 3 different emotions/environments. The first being quite fast and blissful. The second is somewhat lethargic, as if it were taking a break from the fast notes...

• Word Count: 817
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School