For this writing assignment, the concert I chose to attend was the Frost Symphonic Winds “American Panorama”, performed by the Frost School of Music at University of Miami. During the performance, I was primarily a perceptive listener.
The Frost Symphonic Winds “American Panorama”
MUL1010 Music Appreciation
Written Assignment #4: Live Concert Review Report
Below is a sample of a well-written concert report. It is detailed and discusses all the required elements. The student uploaded the ticket sub, program, and orchestra seating drawing (not shown) to this report; which, are all required. The student also used grammar/spell check to proofread the report before submitting.
Writing Assignment #4.
For this writing assignment, the concert I chose to attend was the Frost Symphonic Winds “American Panorama”, performed by the Frost School of Music at University of Miami. During the performance, I was primarily a perceptive listener. By definition, a perceptive listener is one who uses the appropriate musical terminology to describe music and tries to develop an awareness of different musical styles. Usually, in my day to day encounters with music, I am a casual and referential listener. But since I had to analyze and write a report about the music, I had to be perceptive about it.
The style of each pieces performed were a contemporary symphony. The instrumentation of the orchestra was rather large and differing in style. The orchestra included performances on the flute, oboe, bassoon, clarinet, bass clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, horn, trombone, bass trombone, euphonium, tuba, percussion, double bass, and last but not least, the harp.
During the concert, I was able to analyze three different pieces play ed. The first piece was “Commando March” (1943) by Samuel Barber. This was the opening piece of the concert. While there was some unity with few reiterations of musical ideas, this piece primarily demonstrate d much variation as it incorporated new, exciting, and unexpected ideas. The structure of the piece was present ed in ternary, or ABA form. The original purpose of the “Commando March” was for a dedication to a new soldier and was first performed by the Air Army Corps Band.
More details:
I think this piece was meant to be seen as powerful, inspiring, and celebratory. The basic tempo of the song could be describe d as allegro, as it is play ed in a lively and quick manner. And the tempo of the pace as the song went on could be described as accelerando because the tempo was gradually increasing. The volume of the piece overall was crescendo as it was continuously becoming louder. As for the rhythm, the pulse of the piece was rather strong and obvious. The main melody of the march was legato because the notes were play ed with no silences in-between. Throughout the piece, there were moments of dissonance that create d tension, and was then relieve d by consonant harmonies. Overall, the “Commando March” is an iconic piece of music from the Contemporary Period, and was flawlessly perform ed.
The second piece of music I analyze was another piece from the Contemporary Period called “Variations on a Shaker Melody” (1944) by Aaron Copland. The piece mainly demonstrated unity with the feeling of familiarity, although there was some slight variation toward the middle/end. The structure of the music was a two part symphony structure or, binary form. The purpose of the piece in my opinion was to uplift, relax, and ultimately enhance the mood of the listener. It made me feel joyous and at ease. Altogether, the tempo of the piece was andante with the volume al niente, until the climax when it becomes crescendo, and then decrescendo diminuendo. The rhythm contained a consistent pulse throughout with an obvious beat. The dominant tune of the composition illustrated a conjunct melody followed by a slight disjunctive melody, while conveying consonant harmonies.
MUL1010 Music Appreciation
The third and final piece of music is yet an additional piece from the Contemporary Period titled “Chester” (1956) by William Schuman. The purpose of this symphonic piece was to inspire and enhance the mood of the listener. The piece demonstrates much unity throughout with snippets of variation. The structure of the piece was ternary (ABA) form. The pace of the notes started off as moderato and then transitioned to allegretto. The volume of the piece transitioned from al niente to crescendo. The rhythm of the piece was strong and obvious. While the melody started off delicate and then transitioned to a more assertive tune. At the beginning there were consonant harmonies follow ed by some dissonance. The form was compose in an arch form, followed by 5 variations.
As a whole, I thoroughly enjoyed the concert. Each piece that was played was unique and special in its own way. The symphony was professional, talented, and well-rehearsed.
