Music is believed to be the art, which may tell a story, create a mood, or evoke certain thoughts and emotions in a listener. The musical elements, such as pitch, tempo, pauses, acceleration, and other characteristics of the melody, play an important role in reaching and influencing listeners. In this paper, this function of music is analyzed on the example of Art Tatum’s musical work “Over the Rainbow.”
The discussed piece of music belongs to the genre of jazz and is performed in the stride piano style. To understand the underlying meanings of the music, it is necessary to define its main elements. First, the rhythm of the melody can be called steady and relaxed throughout the whole piece, with several accelerated runs, especially at the end. Its tempo is also inconsistent: at the beginning and the end of the musical piece, it changes from slightly accelerating to slowing down dramatically. After the first minute of the performance, Tatum continues with a relatively steady tempo (Tatum 00:01:08-00:03:16). As the melody progresses, its pitch remains moderate, but at the end of the piece, it changes from low to high several times (Tatum 00:03:17-00:03:47). The melody is rich with fast runs, short pauses, and steady chords, which makes it complicated and interesting.
The title of the piece and the positive associations connected with the rainbow imply that the performer aims to create a light atmosphere. The elements of the music also contribute to making the piece means to the audience. For example, a relaxed tempo and a moderate pitch induce positive feelings and images. Fast races and high tones may create a picture of the rainbow and the shining sun in the audience’s mind. A relatively slow beginning, steady tempo in the middle, and accelerated end of the piece can even remind the curve of the rainbow. At the same time, the interpretation of this musical work may vary for different listeners.
It is possible to say that the discussed piece of music sustains the listeners’ attention and fully engages them in the process of listening. According to Cobussen, music activates the listeners’ imagination and makes them perceive reality in a certain way according to its goals and actual performance (126). Understanding musical elements may significantly influence the perception of the musical piece and contribute to encouraging engaged listening. The specific harmony, musical pitch, tempo, and other significant details allow a listener to analyze the mood and emotions that the performer wants to share. For example, acceleration is usually associated with fast movement, while a slow and gentle melody creates an atmosphere of tranquility. Moreover, understanding these elements in a musical piece is essential for predicting further changes in the melody. Therefore, experienced listeners may understand the deeper message of the performer.
Meaning is an essential part of the musical piece since the performer intentionally uses a certain combination of chords, pitches, and rhythm to transfer a particular message. At the same time, the way the listener perceives music may depend on the outside factors. For example, depending on the mood of the listener and the place where the music sounds, the individual can be attracted by the melody or left indifferent. It is possible to conclude that in most cases, meaning is inherent in music, although specific outside conditions may change the intended perception.
To sum up, the analyzed piece of music by Art Tatum is a masterful performance inducing bright images and positive emotions. This versatile and complicated melody attracts attention, creates a light atmosphere, and may even draw the picture of the rainbow in listeners’ imagination. Through understanding the elements of the song, it is possible to find more profound, underlying meanings. At the same time, understanding music can be a challenging task demanding attention to the particular details of the musical piece.
Works Cited
Cobussen, Marcel. “Listening and/as Imagination.” The Oxford Handbook of Sound and Imagination. vol. 1, edited by Mark Grimshaw-Aagaard, et al., Oxford University Press, 2019, pp. 115-130.
Tatum, Art. “Over the Rainbow.” Spotify, 2020. Web.