Traditional and Contemporary Music in Africa

Traditional West African music displays intricate rhythmic and metric patterns through singing, dance, and instrumental music. Classical West African music neither separates music as a distinct art form of sound, nor rhythms as a distinct art form of time, as is common in the West and the Caribean. Conversely, the...

Mark Ronson’s Musician Profile

Mark Ronson is an English-American musician, producer, singer, songwriter, record executive, and a five-time Grammy award winner. Ronson was born on September 4th, 1975, in London and spent the first few years of growing up in England before moving to New York City after his parents’ divorce. Ronson came from...

Native American Music of the Cherokee Indian Tribe

Summary The musical traditions of the Cherokee tribe in the foothills and mountain tops of North Carolina have been the longest in existence. In this tribe, songs were performed on specific occasions and accompanied by instruments and dances. For instance, the Eagle Dance Song was performed by the tribe’s traditional...

How Does Composer John Williams Unify His Films Through His Music?

John Williams is an American composer that is considered to have composed some of the most recognizable and beloved film scores in the history of cinema. His style might be characterized as an orchestral callback to classical Hollywood, with piano and trumpet at the forefront. John Williams’ music has the...

Blues as an Authentic Performance

Speaking about authenticity, one means something genuine, supported by historical factors or traditions. Blues is a shining example of authenticity: their origin is associated with a certain historical period and territory. It is African American folk music inspired by workers’ living conditions and natural phenomena such as flooding. A specific...

The Origin of Blues Music Genre

Introduction Blues is one of the few music genres that originated in the African-American communities. Its main characteristics are unusual rhythm, repeatable lyrics, and unique chord progressions, which make the genre instantly recognizable. Over the years, blues has gained popularity not only in the African-American communities but also throughout the...

The Significance of Soul Train

My pop culture moment was Soul Train, a television music program that aired from 1971 to 2006. As George (2019) notes, the program was “a pop cultural pipeline that taught mass audiences how to dance, how to dress, and who to listen to” (para. 2). Soul Train allowed the general...

Traveling Songs Themed Playlist Overview

Various songs that interpret the theme of adventures and traveling have some common features. In particular, they describe the desire of the singers to see other countries and cultures. This theme is chosen because it has specific relevance to my life because I like to travel, and I want to...

Program Notes on Classical Music

Introduction Classical music can never grow old-fashioned as long as it is too complex to be related to a particular epoch. For centuries, both musicians and audiences have gained inspiration from the beauty and sentimentality of instrumental melodies. The strains of classical instruments can wake a full continuum of emotions,...

Classical Opera and Musical Theater Conventions: “Carmen” vs. “Sweeney Todd”

The world of music is rich and fabulous, provoking the most unpredictable emotions and giving important lessons for human development. Among the existing variety of genres, it is hard to find the one that can be called the best because the choice depends on many personal and outside factors. Carmen...

Rock Movement Through the Rolling Stones

Rock is one of the most outstanding movements in the music industry, which began to develop actively in the 1960s and is still present in music today. Historically, this genre has evolved from jazz with elements of blues and other genres (Kot, 2020). Combined with widespread social and political themes...

American Folk Music and American Roots Music

Music is probably one of the most powerful forms of feeling expression that significantly vary across the countries. Each nation has its unique vision of the world and implements different genres to share people’s joy, sorrow, pleasure, problems, happiness, and other emotions (Manard and Coelho 61). In the United States,...

Modern Ballet and J-Setting Southern Dance Styles

The dance represents a spectacular art of bodily movements and symbolic communication about the human experience. The art of dancing is closely intertwined with the symphonic musical accompaniment and, as a rule, with the lyrical background. In this essay, I will analyze three dances that vary in style, tile of...

Effects of Music Therapy on the Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia

Abstract Clinicians have, over the years, recognized and utilized the therapeutic properties of music in alleviating the psychological and behavioral symptoms of dementia for patients and their caregivers. Dementia encompasses a range of conditions and diseases characterized by the progressive impairment and deterioration of a person’s cognitive domains. Without a...

Rock: Composers, and Special Features of the Genre

Rock Music Rock is a genre of music that was originated in the United States in the late 1940s and became extremely popular throughout the years. Rock stars attract large crowds to stadiums and become idols for their fans. As a genre, rock is very diverse since there are many...

Portico Quartet Jazz Concert Review

Music is often seen as a more expressive art form that may unlock once emotions become too vast for words. Portico Quartet takes the idea of music expressing nuanced emotions even further, transporting the audience to the realm of lucid dreams with their masterfully designed sound and carefully thought-out harmonies....

Concert Report: Rondeau, Bach, Chopin, Webern and Others

Vertigo, Jean Rondeau Jean Rondeau is a Baroque composer; his compositions immerse the listeners into the atmosphere of the early 17th – 18th centuries. Vertigo is performed on the harpsichord that has a long history according to its external appearance (Warner Classics). That is the harpsichord with its balanced timbre...

“My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” Album by Kanye West

Kanye has released an album after disappearing for a while, and it has lived up to the suspense. It is safe for Kanye fanatics to proclaim ‘Kanye is back’ after veering off his brand with 808s and Heartbreak. The album is a signature of Kanye sampling genius; it is RZA’esque....

Ballet Genre Marginalization of People of Color

Ballet dance traces its origins to the fifteenth century, during the Italian Renaissance. The genre has since evolved into a popular concert dance in many countries such as Russia, France, United Kingdom, and the United States (“Dance Resources”). Each country integrates its culture into the dance, which has led to...

Messages in Bob Dylan’s Songs and Performances

Bob Dylan is one of the most unique and influential musicians of the 20th century, particularly in the 1960s. Born as Robert Allen Zimmerman in 1941, Bob Dylan created a new music style and is still regarded as the greatest songwriter and a prominent figure in popular culture more than...

Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour (Live in New York)

The concert under review is titled “Monterrey Jazz Festival on Tour.” The performance took place at Lincoln Center, New York, on March 15th, 2019, in front of an audience of approximately 2,500 people. The idea of the organizers was to capture the essence of the famous festival in a single...

Inti Illimani’s “El Aparecido” and Mapfumo’s “Nyarai” Songs

Songs “El Aparecido” and “Nyarai (Be Ashamed)” are examples of how the citizens of South America and Zimbabwe demonstrate their response to political and social changes. In “Nyarai,” traditional musical features are an 8-beat melodic cycle, the polyphonic interplay of bass and guitars, improvisation, and insistent articulation by percussionists (Schechter...

Music Industry: A Revenue Plan for a Release

The music industry has an incredibly elaborated system since it includes multiple stakeholders. Moreover, within the last decade, its structure has undergone significant changes, and this rapid transformation demonstrated how innovations could ruin the existing sector of the industry. The mixture of audio technologies with computing technologies turned music into...

“The Clarinet” by Anthony McGill and Anna Polonsky

Introduction Although a concert cannot be regarded as an everyday routine event that requires an appraisal, the critical review of an attended concert may be highly beneficial for a better understanding of music. To create an appropriate analysis of any performance, a listener will inevitably concentrate on the general atmosphere,...

The Virtual “Anti-Corona” Concert Review

The Concert Environment The virtual “anti-corona” concert with Albrecht Mayer (oboe) and Kimiko Imani (piano) was performed as a response to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. It consists of four prominent works by Johann Sebastian Bach arranged for the aforementioned instruments (“Albrecht Mayer Plays Bach’s Air”). The concert takes place at...

Romantic Era: Repertoire of the 19th and 20th Century

Introduction The romantic period refers to the period between 1820 and 1900, the period during which musical compositions included “the use of large ensembles, extreme emotions, and wild orchestration” (Romantic Period – Music from 1820 to 1900, n.d). The word Ballet is of French origin. Though historical studies show that...

How Music Affects Juveniles

Introduction Music has remained a common source of advice and entertainment to millions of listeners across the globe. Individuals can rely on it to explore emotions, emerging ideas, and trends in their respective societies. Some young people identify music as a sign of expression and rely on it to acquire...

François-Xavier Roth and Tabea Zimmermann

Introduction François-Xavier Roth’s and Tabea Zimmermann’s performance at Berliner Philharmoniker was focused on Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach’s Symphony in D major, Wq 183 no. 1. The instruments employed were violas, and the orchestra was performing Der Schwanendreher of Paul Hindemith. Tabea Zimmermann was also highly culturally influenced by Hindemith’s musical...

Hip-Hop in the Bronx and Link to Gentrification

Introduction Hip-hop is usually associated with economically depressed and predominantly African American (Black) neighborhoods. The art form originated in Bronx County, in the City of New York during the 1970s (Knight). From the beginning, it has been masked by mystery, and this is because the genre started on the fringes...

Comparing and Contrasting Sheryl Crow and Hootie and the Blowfish

No matter what genres are used to express an artistic intent, at its core, all music seems to appeal to the same emotions and experiences. Therefore, the artists that could seem barely comparable at first appear to have a lot in common at second glance, as the overview of music...

Vietnamese Folklore Music of “Then”

The chanting of “Then”, also known as the “melody of god”, is a reflection of the religious life and spiritual activities of the Tay, Nung, and Thai ethnic groups from the mountain provinces of Northern Vietnam. Over time, UNESCO experts have proved that this music carries universal values that go...

Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s Concert in March 2020

Ladysmith Black Mambazo is the worldwide famous African male choral group with more than fifty years of performance history. In 2020, the singers were forced to cancel their tour due to the pandemic and death of the group’s founder, Joseph Shabalala (Ladysmith Black Mambazo). However, Ladysmith Black Mambazo gave one...

Impressionism and Symbolism in Music

In Claude Debussy’s “Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun” the opening melody is played by the flute. Throughout the whole piece, the parts of the woodwind section – especially flute, oboe, and clarinet – are very prominent and lead the melody. String section also plays a major role, coming...

Music of the Classical Period: Patronage in Music

Almost every composer or performer needs help to become famous. Sometimes it happens that even a musician with an exclusive talent remains unknown because he does not have any patron to promote his works. All the composers whose works are now considered the classics of world music once were fledgling...

Lack of Scientific Understanding and Ian Curtis’ Song Transmission

Ian Curtis’s song “Transmission” written in 1978 not only explains the singer’s personal reaction towards modern life and technology but also, to an extent, accounts for the lack of scientific understanding by the general public in the US, today. The song has been written keeping in mind those specific people...

Program Music. Bedrich Smetana and Hector Berlioz

Program music is one of the key features of the Romantic Musical Style, which brings more depth and context to the performance. It is important to note that it opens a new window of opportunities to enrich instrumental music by providing a meaningful connotation. The given analysis will primarily focus...

Controversies About How to Interpret Music

The question of how to interpret the music of the past is a matter of perpetual controversy. Should performers play in a way that recreates the music as the composer would have heard it, or should they adjust to modern conventions? One point of view, represented by longtime New Yorker...

Sir Arnold Malcolm, the Composer

Sir Arnold Malcolm is a well-known 20th-century English musician, conductor, and composer. He was born in 1921, and at the age of twelve, he started to learn how to play the trumpet. Before beginning his career in 1941, he managed to enroll in the Royal College of Music, where he...

“Singin’ in the Rain” by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen

Singin’ in the Rain is a 1952 musical comedy directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen. This film is significant as it was shot in the epoch of transition from silent films to sound ones. As I watched Singin’ in the Rain, I noticed that MGM Studios used the shift...

Sonny’s Blues: Midterm by James Baldwin

The given assessment will focus on James Baldwin’s “Sonny’ Blues,” and the essay question on what this work reveals about issues like reality, imagination, truth, morals, values, relationships, gender roles, and power structures. This particular piece of writing primarily focuses on family values, brotherly relationships, and addictions. The story demonstrates...

The Strain Theory in the Mobb Deep’s Song “Survival of the Fittest”

Robert Merton’s Strain Theory is a sociological and criminological theory that states that social structures may force people to commit a crime. There are five modes of adapting to strain that an individual can pursue: conformity, ritualism, innovation, retreatism, and rebellion, the last three of which are associated with criminal...

The Pelageya Group’s Live Concert in the US

“Pelageya” is a Russian folk group named after its front singer’s name. In 2016, the USA witnessed a big live concert of “Pelageya” that lasted about 1,5 hours. Their music makes the audience feel part of a subculture that arose among the fans of Tolkien and other elven fantasy with...

A Night at the Opera: Similarities and Differences

  “E Lucevan le stelle”(Puccini) “Habanera”(Bizet) “News has a kind of mystery”(Adams) DiscussSimilarities and Differences Tempo (slow, medium, fast, dance-like?) The tempo is slow and changing to medium. The tempo is medium. The tempo is medium and changing to fast. In these three songs, the tempo is always different –...

Ian Curtis and the Decline of Western Civilization

In my opinion, Ian Curtis’ words “No language, just sound, that’s all we need to know” do not correspond as much to the fact that the general public in the U.S. lacks the scientific knowledge, as they actually reveal the essence of author’s subconscious anxieties, related post-industrial living. At the...

Johann Sebastian Bach as an Example of a Talented Person

The image above by Marshal and Emery depicts Johann Sebastian Bach, one of the world’s most famous composers. While he is known for his exceptional artwork, Bach’s life was full of exciting facts that did not directly relate to music. Firstly, not many people know that Bach was married twice...

Technology Influence on the Art of Dance

At the beginning of the XX century, great artists like Kazimir Malevich reinvented visual art, as it was believed there were no other directions it could evolve to in a conventional manner. It is doubtful that contemporary art has given up the idea of the importance of the form and...

The YouTube Broadway Jazz Class

Bob Fosse’s dance style was introduced in the class, and its key features are isolations of body parts, numerous gestures, and turned-in movements. The famous song “All That Jazz” from the musical Chicago largely contributed to the understanding of Fosse’s style. Furthermore, I discovered many new moves, which are easy...

Music Elements Manipulation

The process of music work creation requires a great deal of effort in terms of conveying the primary composer’s idea through some basic music elements like harmony, tone, dynamics, rhythm, etc. Music composition as a notion is closely correlated with the paradigm of human emotive response to the environment. Thus,...

Arsen Petrosyan’s Live Duduk Concert in Yerevan

Arsen Petrosyan’s live duduk concert took place in 2016 in Yerevan, Armenia. His contribution to the popularization of Armenian folk music can hardly be overestimated. Perhaps that is why he is often called the keeper of his people’s musical heritage. Having once chosen one of the most mysterious musical instruments,...

Chris Anderson: Digitization of Music

In an influential article titled The Long Tail that was published in 2004, Chris Anderson asserts that we should forget about making about making a few mega hits in the charts. He claims that the future of entertainment lies in the niche markets that are not captured by the much...

Live Musical Performances and Concerts’ Analysis

Introduction Music can awaken a wide range of emotions of both the amateur and the sophisticated listener. Live musical performance expands a person’s emotional range and may even go beyond that reaching those unknown types of feelings that people have not yet given a name. That is why I watched...

Rapalje Band’s Musical Performance in Castlefield

In 2017, the Castlefield world music festival was held, and “Rapalje” carried the audience to the abyss of the Celtic folk again. Typically, the attendance at their concerts is repeatedly the same, but this festival attracted many new faces. After this concert, the number of “Rapalje’s” fans is likely to...

Cover Versions and The Music of the Beatles

Cover Versions African American contributions have an important place in the history of music. By fusing different techniques which originated in Africa with their unique vocal abilities, black Americans provided the world with jazz, blues, hip-hop, and other notable genres of music. While a part of the population enjoyed these...

Laura Pergolizzi Live Concert Review

Introduction What is one thing that Rihanna, Backstreet Boys, Christina Aguilera, Cher, Leona Lewis, and Celine Dion have in common? It is a piece of the heart of a music phenomenon Laura Pergolizzi, also known as LP, who wrote their hits. A successful, prolific songwriter, she took over the world...

Playing Music and Its Benefits for Health

Nowadays, when there is a large choice of various hobbies, it may be uneasy to take up one. People usually consider all benefits that a particular pastime could bring them before pursuing it. To my mind, music-making is the practice that not only brings pleasure to the player and the...

42nd Street Musical by Stewart and Bramble

If you want to learn about some secrets of show business, you need to watch the brilliant musical 42nd Street. This musical was written by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble in 1980. The production under consideration was performed by the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts in 2013...

Huun-Huur-Tu Live Musical Performance in California

In 2008, in a live performance in Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California, “Huun-Huur-Tu” remained committed to their homeland’s centuries-old music style. The group exists for over a quarter-century, providing its fans with a lively, smooth, and warm sound. Their lyrics include the topics of nature, love stories, their homeland, sadness, and...

Colombian Singer J. Balvin

Colombian singer Jose Alvaro Osorio Balvin became famous all over the world as J Balvin and broke many musical records. During the 16 years of his career, he has released seven discs, sold 35 million copies of singles and 4 million copies of albums (Katler). Besides, the singer has become...

Live Concert of Arctic Monkeys in Glasgow

The incredible performance of Arctic Monkeys in the heart of Glasgow was a phenomenal success among Scottish spectators. The band performed 20 musical compositions as part of the TRNSMT Festival at the historical site where protests and demonstrations once took place. The spotlights behind the drummer, Matt Gelders, and the...

Opinion About Classical Music

Nowadays, classical music loses its popularity among the wide public, which is explained by the fact that it becomes obsolete in the conditions of the modern-day world. Today, people tend to be guided by different cadences, tempos, and they have a different pace. The calm and hasteless nature of classical...

Social Stratification in the Music Art

Selected Songs Music, movies, and novels are powerful tools that artists use to address most of the issues affecting their societies and attract attention of policymakers. The crafted messages become new ideas for overcoming the challenges many citizens experience in their lives. The first song for this analysis is “Same...

Review of Diana Kroll’s 2002 concert

Quite melodic jazz combined with Diana’s gentle vocals makes the performance incredible, the quality of it surpasses all expectations. The music concert was performed in 2002 by the following musicians: Diana Krall – vocals, piano, Dan Faehnle – guitar, Ben Wolfe – contrabass, and Rodney Green – drums (Diana Krall...

Cher’s Live Performance “Dressed to Kill Tour” at the BB&T Center

Introduction Lately, live music events have become very popular and almost every artist is striving to give their audience value for their money. The current demand for live music events seems to overwhelming the industry players. All the same, it is evident that live music gives the audience more thrill...

Music of the African Diaspora

Introduction Africans are unique people with distinctive traditions embedded in literary works such as music. Olaudah Equiano’s narrative sheds some light on the cultural heritage of the African diaspora, including music that developed from that period. From the narrative, one can learn how three genres of music – spiritual, gospel,...

Protest Music in the 1960s

Since ancient times, music has been an essential component of any culture. While it has always allowed people to share their feelings and connect with others, creating melodies and signing are the ways the world population goes through specific life events. With the help of music individuals celebrate personal achievements,...

The Britain Music of the 1960s

Introduction Music forms an integral part of any culture’s tradition and practices. In the 1960s, a new tradition in the music industry emerged in Liverpool and London that would transform Britain’s culture forever. The influence these two distinct regions provided the emergence of several bands and songs that became sensational...

Musical Instrument Families and Ensembles

Instrument families It is important to note that several instrument families possess unique characteristics. In the case of country music, the most used one is the strings family, which includes dobro, banjo, or autoharp. Similarly, rock also belongs to the strings family, such as bass and guitars. However, jazz mostly...

Classical Symphonic Music Analysis Event

History proves that classical symphonic music is almost immortal, which speaks of its significant cultural component. For this essay, I watched and analyzed four video recordings of musical performances. They are united by the classical character of compositions and features. The purpose of this paper is to review the videos...

The Newport Jazz Festival

Newport Jazz Festival is a grand musical occasion held every summer in Rhode Island. It was initially established as the first annual American jazz festival starting to attract notable jazz musicians, including Billie Holiday, Dave Brubeck, and Ella Fitzgerald. The line-up for the 1998 Newport Jazz Festival included Diana Krall,...

EMI Music: Company Analysis

Introduction EMI Music is one of the largest and trusted sound recording studios in the world. In general, this is the synonym of reliable cooperation, high-quality services, and trust of the clients, hence, the reputation of the company is high enough. As for the competitive environment of the company, there...

Difference Between Hearing and Listening to Music

Music has a unique way of conveying feelings, emotions, and even stories, regardless of the country and language of a person who listens to it. Various techniques and methods allow a composer to transfer mood and feeling so that the listener can perceive and understand it. However, most people hear...

Wolfson Campus Opera Ensemble Presents Pippin

Many people would agree that musicals are a wonderful way to spend their free time, and enjoy a relaxing atmosphere full of joy and bright emotions. Not long ago I had a chance to feel the truthfulness of the above-mentioned saying as I to visited “Pippin” musical by the Miami...

Hip-Hop Influence on American Popular Culture

The sphere of hip-hop influence on American popular culture is constantly extending, involving new forces and new interpretations. Previously hip hop was considered to be exclusively the culture of the oppressed and marginalized Afro-Americans, but at the present moment the racial and social boundaries are defied and such prominent hip...

Adolescent Music: Cultural, Moral and Political Messages

Introduction The two songs that I have selected are classified under the hip-hop genre of music. This is a genre that came about as a result of the hip-hop culture. It can be described by four major stylistic elements that define it, and those are rapping, deejaying or scratching, sampling...

Evolution of Rock and Roll in Radio

Rock and roll is a music genre that emerged during the close of 1940s and the dawn of early 1950s in the southern region of the United States (Aquila 46). The originators of rock and roll combined blues of African American origin, country music, gospel music and jazz to come...

Comparison of ‘Supermassive Black Hole’ and ‘Hit my Heart’

Introduction Music is an art. Listening to the music one may be captured in the absolutely new world where emotions and feelings have covered the whole space. Different music styles create absolutely different pictures in the human mind, but the reaction to the music is in most cases the same;...

Instrumental Suite in the Baroque Period

Introduction A suite is a musical instrumental masterpiece that consists of a series of changing movements or a series of dances of related keys or it’s a collection of pieces related to each other. In addition, instrumentals refer to a kind of music produced by the use of musical instruments...

Hip-Hop and Commercial Culture Relationship

It is doubtless, that the present-day culture became commodified, being oriented on the mass market. It is almost impossible for the cultural workers to resist the temptation to be driven by the corporate interests only. To preserve the universal value of the hip hop generation cultural heritage, it is necessary...

Hip-Hop Musical Impact on the World

Introduction Hip-hop is a musical genre and part of a wider culture of hip-hop. The hip-hop culture has several hallmarks to its characteristics; they include rapping, emceeing, freestyling, scratching among other attributes. Its origin can be traced back to rapping in 1970 Southern side of Bronx, New York. Rapping is...

The Sprawl and the Redevelopment Plan for Times Square

The video The Sprawl is showing us how change is not always good. All the music by Sonic Youth and Arcade Fire in this group of songs under this category of urban sprawl are really about the same thing. Each of the songs is about different aspects of the takeover...

Pogues’ “If I Should Fall From the Grace of God” Review

Britain has always been a complex entity of four distinct unique national identities with individual peculiarities, customs and traditions. As far as Ireland is concerned, it has its own separate identity that is embodied in Irish music which is an inseparable part of Irish culture. One of the representatives of...

Appalachian Music: About Music Tradition

Abstract The modern music industries highly rely on the old-time forms of songs since the modern music is made up of the traditional instruments and modern instruments that can all be found stored in the modern piano that can be used to add flavor to music. The old-time music of...

A Mythical Miracle on Utube: Tchaikovsky Concert

This e-concert is amazing. There are three different orchestras playing some of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s best pieces: The Tchaikovsky concert program began with the 1812 Overture with full cannon and bells as done to celebrate the 150th birthday of the composer in a gala with Yuri Temirkanov conducting the Leningrad...

The Music Industry Versus the Internet: Mp3 and Other Cyber Wars

Introduction Some issues need to be discussed in relation to MP3 and other Cyber related wars. Music is a foremost fabric that reaches its audience through many forms. Nonetheless, Mp3 is one of the forms. However, there are debatable concerns about consumption, distribution, revolution, copyright, promotion, and economic perceptive from...

Bob Fosse of Broadway Fame

Born in Chicago, Illinois, on June 23rd, 1927, Bob Fosse grew to become the “most influential man in jazz” (Dance Help Inc.). At the height of his career, he was a theater choreographer, screen writer, film director and director. During his career, “he won eight unparalleled Tony awards for choreography”...

The Story of Christian Music

With a composer’s ear, the author tried to document the expression of faith and joy for a community. As he dealt with a vast subject, he has drawn boundaries to limit the discussion. What will appeal the most to the readers is the ways the Christian Community found during the...

Landscape Depicted in Pastoral Symphony by Beethoven

Introduction Beethoven is one of the most successful classical artists. His symphonies such as symphony erotica have remained relevant for a long time. Nature and natural landscape were important to classical and romanticism artists. Beethoven’s love for nature and natural landscape is especially featured in his sixth symphony, Pastoral symphony....

Beethoven and the City of Bonn

There were a lot of people who were called geniuses in different spheres of human activity. When music is concerned, probably, the first name that leaps into one’s mind is Ludwig Van Beethoven, a composer, and pianist whose works and memory have been living for many centuries already. Such prominent...

“Frederic Chopin: A Guide to Research” by W. Smialek

Introduction Music is one of the finest art forms that the mankind has ever created. It allows people express their emotions and reflect the whole beauty of the surrounding world. However, research in music would be impossible without another art form – literature. In this paper, I will present the...

The College Concert: Mozart, Piazzola and Beethoven

Every concert is an opportunity for talented musicians to demonstrate their understanding and interpretation of certain musical pieces. The task becomes especially complicated when works dating from different styles and epochs are combined in one concert, since it requires careful selection of the pieces providing sufficient diversity without excessive dissimilarity....

Elvis Presley’s Influence on Music

Elvis Aaron Presley an immensely talented American artist gained extreme popularity at a point in time as a vocalist, actor, and musician. His popularity made him frequently known just as “Elvis” amongst his huge fan base. Titles such as “The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll” and “The King” (Marsh, 176)...

Development of Harpsichord and Piano

Harpsichords are keyboard instruments with strings played by plucking mechanisms whereas pianos are keyboard instruments whose sounds are produced when struck by hummers controlled by the keyboard. Over the years, the refinement of the instruments has involved many technologies for instance; the making of strings, hammers, plucking mechanisms, action wires,...

Pink Floyd: The Rock Legends

Pink Floyd is an English Rock Band that was formed in 1965 with its active years being 1965 to 1983 and 1987 to 1999 and several one -off reunions between the years 2003 and 2007. The band originated from Cambridge and London England (Keno). Pink Floyd first started as a...

Pablo Picasso’s “The Three Dancers” Painting

At the beginning of the 20th century, the machine age and the perfection of the photograph had reduced the prestige of art as a unique form of expression. In reaction to the concept that art offered no greater means of expression than the simple representation of the external world, artists...

Edith Piaf: Biography Review

Introduction Edith Piaf was born on 19th December 1915 and died at the age of 47 in 1963. He was regarded as France most famous musician of all time. Though she was a female artist, her music attracted attention from all genders and generation. She specialized in playing ballad music...

Thelonius Monk: Musical Genius

Jazz music is commonly thought of as naturally arising from the plantations of the South as black people gained their freedom and turned their sorrowful songs into celebration. Even then, they knew something about music that science is just now discovering – it has healing properties that can surpass other...

The Developing of Keyboard Sonatas Through the Works of Joseph Haydn

Music is an important part of human life. People listen to music for different purposes. Some people find calmness and relax with the music, others are excited with it, some people listen to the music to find the answers to their questions, and the rest just enjoy good melodies and...

Music of the Baroque Period: What is a Baroque Concerto?

Introduction Baroque is often used to describe the style of music which is composed during the era that coincides with the period of Baroque art. There are still a lot of arguments when it comes to the principles of baroque music especially its contribution to the Baroque period. One highlight...

Antonio Vivaldi and Robert Schumann: Comparison

Antonio Vivaldi Little has been documented about the childhood of the famed Baroch composer Antonio Vivaldi. It is believed that he was born to a professional violinist father on March 4, 1678. For unknown reasons, Vivaldi chose to join the clergy and be ordained as a priest in 1703. It...

Career of Sound Engineer

Introduction People’s professions are usually viewed from the most known sides. Those, who treat people, are thought to be doctors, miners are considered to extract coal, and sound engineers deal with music instruments. The important part is that most people do not even guess that all professions deal with lots...

Understanding Soundscapes and Composition Process

Introduction A soundscape is defined as either a collection of sound or a particular sound that emanates from a certain environment. In a number of instances, this may involve performance of that sound. It may also be necessary to record it is so as to create a certain sensation that...

Performing Arts. Minton’s Playhouse Jazz Club

Introduction Jazz music is commonly thought of as naturally arising from the plantations of the South as black people gained their freedom and turned their sorrowful songs into celebration. However, this isn’t exactly how jazz got its start. It is true that jazz came into being as a musical genre...

The Vienna Philharmonic Summer Night Concert 2009

Music is the other world, where people think about nothing but the sounds they hear, feel nothing, but the surrounding atmosphere and see nothing, as music fulfills all the soul and person can percept nothing else. Classical music is absolutely different from modern music as classical music is immortal, a...

Filmi: Indian Music Unique Element

Music is a form of art created via the medium of sound and comprised of an variety of components which include pitch (harmony, melody), rhythm (meter, tempo) and sonic qualities such as texture and timber. Culture and social context are the essentials that determine or constitute how music is defined,...

Jazz Music: Comparison to Music in Previous Eras

Introduction Music as a form of art has been heard by different people and cultures all over the world in different genres and languages. Jazz is a musical art of American origin that dates back to the twentieth century from an influence of European and American music traditions. It uses...

Music and Poetry Perception Ideas

Introduction From all art forms, music possesses the greatest force of influence on the person, directly addressing to his soul, to the world of own experiences, and moods. It can be called the language of feelings, and the model of human emotions. Music plays a huge role in the course...

Arthur Bliss: An English Composer’s Life and Work

Biography Sir Arthur Bliss was until the time of his death a well respected and prominent English composer of the queen’s music. He was born as the eldest son on 2 August, 1891 in England. His mother was British but his father was of American origin that was by then...

Favorite Instrument on the Web: The Guitar

History and/or Manufacturers Guitars were invented in Spain, by the people of Malaga around the 15th century. Initially, it was a very small instrument with four pairs of strings each pair called a “course”. Two significant changes were made to the guitar in the Baroque period – double strings were...

Music Industry and Information Technology

Introduction For starters, the word ‘music’ can be defined as an art form involving organized sounds and silence, expressed in terms of pitch, quality, and rhythm. Since time immemorial, music has been used as the medium of choice by many to “calm the soul of the wounded beast’, as it...

Teaching Music in the Middle Schools

When signing up members into the intermediate choir, there are a number of vital aspects, which should be put into consideration. These are the aspects that will determine the level of commitment and the quality of the choruses from the choir members. It is crucial to look at the interest...

Popular Music. “West Side Story” Musical

When West Side Story burst upon the Broadway stage in 1957 it was the most unique musical of its time, bringing together a wide array of musical genres with different cultural roots to enhance a modern version of Romeo and Juliet with wonderfully blended orchestration and an inspired choreography. Following...

Hui main/Hec dies, 13th century by Motet

The motet Hui main/Hec dies represents the early medieval music and shows a unique combination of the musical; a palette of the period and the text. It is important to note that in this motet each voice has its own sharply marked characteristics. In the motet, the tenor melody is...

Jazz and Politics: “The History of Jazz”

Jazz is an American musical art that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities as there was the connection of African and European music traditions. With the emaciation of slaves, there were new opportunities that were cared to African Americans in that they were allowed...

Louis Spohr, a Conductor of the Nineteenth Century

Louis Spohr was a prolific German composer, violinist, and conductor at the beginning of the early nineteenth century (Weyer M, 1980). He was born in Brunswick in 1784 in Germany. Louis Spohr was considered to be one of the finest composers of his time. His parents were also musicians; his...

Violin Virtuoso Extraordinaire Vs. Yi-Jia Hou Concert

The current essay provides a critical account of two performances of classical music which I visited during the course. Based on the advice of my friends and information that I borrowed from various resources the first concert of classic music that I visited was the Violin Virtuoso Extraordinaire concert which...

Dance Movement Therapy Review

Introduction Dance Movement therapy belongs to the category of Creative Arts therapy among alternative therapies. The term ‘dance movement therapy’ refers to the use of movement in improving the mental and physical health of a person. Dance therapy centres around the notion that the body and mind are interconnected, and...

Evolution of the Piano: From Clavichord to Modern Digital

The piano can be directly linked to two instruments οf centuries past. The first is the clavichord, a box-like structure in which strings are stretched and struck by metal blades to produce notes and pitches. The clavichord could be manipulated to produce different chords, but even at its best, it...

Conductor’s Preparation for Rehearsal

One of the essential attributes of a good conductor is not so much a conductor’s wand as a highly developed musical ear. The conductor should be able to separate the individual tones and chords in the polyphony of sounds, as well as be able to summarize them all together when...

Ermias “Nipsey Hussle” Asghedom and His “Crenshaw”

Rapping plays a significant role in US culture because it has a huge number of fans. In their texts, artists tend to reflect on the current issues and contemporary situation in the country. Sometimes, rappers become well-known for their contribution to the local neighborhoods. Nipsey Hussle was not only one...

Review of Chapters 1-3 in ‘Precision Conducting’ by Timothy Sharp

In his book, Precision Conducting, Seven Disciplines for Excellence in Conducting, Timothy Sharp looks into the different ways of inspiring a conductor. Chapters 1 to 3 discuss analyzing, internalizing, and marking the score. The author argues that it is critical for the conductor to first analyze the score. At this...

Advanced Choral Conducting Techniques: Lessons from Jordan’s Fundamentals

Basics for choral conductors working with instrumentalists include such aspects as verbal and gestural communication, using the baton, articulation, and bowing. Verbally, the conductor is recommended to address instrumentalists in the same fashion he or she would attend a choir. The best course of action in terms of tuning the...

Studying Orchestral Scores by a Conductor

Introduction Studying the orchestral score is the very first stage of the conductor’s training before rehearsal. Merely reading the score without analyzing the parts does not cover the entire range of artistic meanings embedded in the composition. In the process of preparing, the conductor should pay serious attention to the...

Grammy Awards 2020: Controversies, Winners, and Viewership Decline

Introduction The ceremony of awarding the Grammys is among the most-watched events in the U.S. On 26 January, the 62nd Grammy Awards ceremony took place in Los Angeles. However, it was overshadowed by the recent dismissal of Deborah Dugan and Kobe Bryant’s death. This paper will provide details of these...

New York Jazz Festival: Diverse Talents & Authentic Jazz Experience

The New York Jazz Festival was an authentic experience of musical expression. Incorporating the elements of different cultures, the festival featured an extraordinarily diverse and immensely talented band. The performance was directed by Tim Jackson, who led the band consisting of artists that had already established themselves as prominent jazz...

The Role of Klezmer Music in Preserving Jewish Cultural Heritage

Introduction The Jewish culture is unique, which is reflected in the Klezmer music tradition. This genre emerged in the 9th century, and during the 16th and 17th centuries, klezmer musicians were widely known as musicians playing at weddings. After the Second World War, this genre was forgotten by the general...

The History of Charlie Parker

Charlie Parker was one of the outstanding jazz musicians, who brought the unique rhythms and performance into the world of jazz. However, his uniqueness caused him many troubles as he was a heroin addict and mentally ill. Events that led to the addiction, his place of origin, and details of...

Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”

Purpose, Question at Issue, and Assumptions The live concert I viewed is the Queen’s show at Live Aid in 1985 (“Queen – Live at LIVE”). I will analyze the event and one of the songs, in particular, Bohemian Rhapsody. The song’s author is Freddie Mercury, the lead vocalist of Queen....

“Memphis” Musical Theatre Production

The musical “Memphis” is a story depicting a disc-jockey (DJ ) who preferred music that was associated with the African-Americans, and thus his vision was unpopular among other DJs or radio producers. The central theme of this plot and the idea for this story is based on the real-life story...

Johnny Cash: The Man Who Mixed Five Genres in One Song

Introduction Even with today’s popularity of eclecticism, not many artists can mix five genres in one song and fewer have done so repeatedly and with staggering popularity. Rock and roll, rockabilly, blues, folk, and gospel cannot be further apart. This unlikely melange of sounds is precisely what made Johnny Cash...

Frederic Chopin and His “Minute Waltz”

Historical Background Chopin was born in the Grand Duchy of Warsaw in 1810, and this territory became a part of the Kingdom of Poland five years after his birth (Bellman & Goldberg, 2017). A son of an immigrant and a Polish aristocrat, Chopin attended the University of Warsaw (Bellman &...

The Seven T’s at Seventy: Charles Ferguson’s 70th Birthday Concert

A music concert that I attended was entitled The Seven T’s at Seventy and was dedicated to the 70th birthday of Charles Ferguson, a lecturer at California Institute of the Arts, who was also a solo performer during the show. The concert took place on January 19, 2019, in the...

Musical Culture and Internet Influence

Introduction The role of music in the structure of the spiritual life of a modern person is quite large, and musical culture as a whole becomes a significant factor in the formation of universal human values ​​among people. Music can be represented as a certain symbolic system, musical culture as...

John Philip Sousa: the Marine and Bandmaster

John Philip Sousa, a known American composer, was born on November 6, 1854, in Washington, DC, in a family of former European residents. The legacy of this famous bandmaster is among the greatest national treasures of the United States. In the history of America, this remarkable figure is known as...

The Standard Modern Symphony Orchestra: Instruments and Families

What type of musical line is the most recognizable, memorable one that you are most likely to leave the concert whistling? Melody is the most recognizable type of musical line because it is a combination of musical tones (pitch and rhythm) perceived by a listener as a single entity, so...

“Seussical the Musical” Theater Play Critique

Seussical is a brilliant musical for kids and perhaps even adults who cherish the writings of Dr. Seuss. The production intertwines the plots of several stories to create a magical world full of fantastic creatures and breathtaking adventures of the Cat, Horton the Elephant, and his small friend Jojo (“Seussical...

The Effect of Music on Serial Short Term Memory

Abstract To find out the effect of background music on short term memory, an experiment was carried out on two groups. This was to investigate the hypothesis that background music when played during cognitive processing would disrupt the participants’ level of concentration for the memory recall test compared to the...

Music in the Movie “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”

Introduction: The Essential Details Movie title: The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Composer: Jon Brioni Music styles: Pop, soft rock (“Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime”), psychedelic pop (“Light&Day”), art rock (“Mr. Blue Sky”), filmi songs (background music), trip-hop, electronic, indie (“A Dream upon Waking”). When the Music Is an...

A Rock Concert by Kansas

The Concert by Kansas Recently, on the evening of Friday, February 19, I attended a rock concert by Kansas. Kansas is an American rock band that gained its popularity as early as in the 1970s, and is still active today, albeit it had a short break in 1984-1985. The band...

20th-Century Music: Prokofiev, Respighi, Orff’s Works

Introduction Music has always been a sensitive mirror of major social processes, attitudes, and trends. So was the case in the twentieth century, when the tendency to the scientific perception of the world, employment of technology, and progressing mechanization of life characterized contemporary society. At the same time, composers did...

Historical Context and Evolution of Opera and Instrumental Music

Opera Aiming at restoring the Greek drama, Peri and Caccini, the members of Bardi’s camerata, introduced the notion of opera. Still, it was during the Baroque period that opera received proper attention and became a particularly elaborate work of music, singing, dancing and design. The notions of opera seria (drama)...

Research Techniques for Effective Communication with Vocal Performers

Introduction Attention-Grabbing Idea People can communicate in absolutely different ways: some people prefer to use signs, many people like to gesticulate to attract attention, and the vast majority of people use vocal cues to underline their intentions. Vocalist communication is one of those interesting types of communication that requires certain...

E-Concert Report: Analysis of Early and Baroque Music Performance and Impact

Introduction The epoch of Baroque, which took over one and a half centuries from the early 1600s to the 1750s, was a majestic period for all branches of art. Its bizarre pompous luxury found reflection not only in architecture but also in other arts, such as music. The main genres...

Classical vs Romantic: Mozart and Mussorgsky’s Timeless Works

Introduction Works of Classical and Romantic music possess a special charm to music lovers. On the one hand, the intellectual, rational, and orderly époque of Classicism, which spanned approximately seven decades from 1750, produced impeccable models of such genres of symphony and concerto. On the other hand, the emotional, intuitive,...

Wolfgang Mozart and Lorenzo Da Ponte: the Winning Duo

Abstract A leading and most efficient composer of operatic music and plays, Mozart is a genius since his childhood. His mastery extended over a hundred plays and operas. He was assisted by his librettists in his success. One of the most noted librettist is Da Ponte. While Ponte’s work on...

Bob Marley’s “Running Away” Song Performed by Monty Alexander

Introduction First and foremost I would like to say that while I am a fan of jazz music I prefer the smooth jazz sounds of artists such as Vijay Iyer and Tom Harell rather than the work of the Monty Alexander Trio. This is not me disparaging their work rather...

The 66th International Music Festival in Prague

Introduction Prague is the capital city of the Czech Republic, a country in central Europe bordered by Poland, Germany, Austria, and Slovakia. Prague also doubles up as the largest city in this landlocked country, and is a very dynamic city by day and at night, especially during festivals. Towards the...

Las Vegas: The City of a Thousand Lights and Elvis Presley

Introduction Las Vegas, which translates from Spanish as «fertile valleys», is a world center of entertainment for every taste. Since the second half of the twentieth century, Las Vegas seems to be «the city of a thousand lights», and one of the greatest centers of show business development. Elvis Presley...

Music Reproduction in the Future

Introduction/Thesis statement Nowadays, it represents a commonplace practice to discuss the significance of music in conjunction with how the aesthetic medium in question affected the course of humanity’s historical progress. Such an analytical approach does appear to make much sense. After all, there can be only a few doubts that...

Belly Dance, Its History and Movements

Introduction The culture of dance has been in existence since time immemorial where different cultures have performed the art for several reasons for instance as a way of celebrating the birth of a new child, giving thanks to and worshipping the gods, celebrating much harvest after a harvesting season as...

Impact of Set Design and Costumes in a Children’s Musical

Seussical is a spectacular musical for kids, which is based on the books of Dr. Seuss. The plots of several stories intricately intertwine in order to create a totally unprecedented magical world full of fantastic creatures and breathtaking adventures of the Cat, Horton the Elephant, and his small friend Jojo....