Musical analysis

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For this assignment, you will do a musical report of Beethoven 9- Chicago Symphony Orchestra (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOjHhS5MtvA)
A successful report will address these 4 broad categories. Organizing your paper in this large structure is highly encouraged.

  1. Introduction
    • Give the name of the concert or group performing, and any other orienting information that might have been given in the concert performance, such as the original performance date. 
    • Briefly describe your expectations for the experience- feel free to point out any observations about our unique to an online experience.
  2.  Orienting program information
    • What type of performance did you watch (symphony, opera, solo, chamber, ballet, etc)?
    • What pieces did you hear, who were the composers, and what were historical eras of these pieces?
    • Introduce the two movements you will explore in detail.
    • This might be a good opportunity for your one required citation- perhaps relevant information about the composer or historical era?
    • If you choose ballet or opera, you should provide a brief, broad synopsis of the story told (less than 3 sentences, if possible).
  3.  Body of Report: Musical Analysis
    • Musical Analysis of two movements or short pieces from your concert
    • Example of how to narrow down your focus for opera or ballet: “This paper contrasts the music for the love duet of Lady Carla and Don Giovanni (1:30:20 in video) and during Don Giovanni’s death (2:20:19 in video)”
    • Use YOUR ears and listen for the basic elements discussed in class; you do not need to use all the elements, but a good paper will try to notice a minimum of 7 musical observations (consonance, conjunct, disjunct, candance, rhythm, tempo, dynamic, timbre, contrast, variation, crescendo, melody, harmony, texture, form)
    • Use timings from the video stream to help orient your reader to descriptions (example: “At 0:2:40, the orchestra made a dramatic crescendo…”)
    • If you choose to use citations in this section, make them brief and only use them to support your own observations, not in place of your observations.
    • Here are a few approaches to this section that might help you get started. DO NOT ATTEMPT ALL OF THESE IDEAS.
      1. Contrast/compare your two works with references to specific musical elements.
      2. Give an overview of their characters- what types of moods or feelings they evoked, then back that up with references to specific musical elements.
      3. Choose the music composition you liked best and describe why using specific musical elements. Contrast it with the music you liked least and describe why using musical elements.
  4.  Conclusion
    • For an academic paper about art, you will provide either a synthesis or evaluation to conclude your paper. 
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