Friday, April 24, 2015

Listening Journal - Handel

Handel - Sarabande in D Minor


Musical Elements

Timbre:Chordophone (Cello, Violin, Viola)
Tempo: Slow (Grave originally)
Meter: Triple Simple (3/2)
Tonality: Minor
Texture: Homophonic
Key: D Minor

Structure


Binary Form (Lengthy A Section Repeated, then B Section starts around the one minute mark)

Context

-Baroque Period
-Created in the 1700's
-Third Movement in a Suite 
-Originally for solo harpsichord
-Intended for Dance
-Performed by a modern Orchestra



Sunday, March 22, 2015

Listening Journal - Monteverdi

Monteverdi - L'Orfeo (Toccata)


Musical Elements

Timbre: Aerophone 
Texture: Homophonic/Polyphonic
Tonality: Major 
Meter: Duple Simple
Rhythm: Syncopation 

Structure 

Stropic

Authentic Cadences

Ritornellos

Context

Brass ensemble 

Early Baroque but also late Renaissance

Secular (Greek mythology)

Music from an opera based off of the Greek legend Orpheus

16th Century

Serves as a prelude to the opera

Instrumental piece 






Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Johannes Ockeghem - Miserere mei Deus: Listening Journal


Johannes Ockeghem - Miserere mei Deus



Musical Elements:

Meter: Unclear, unidentified pulse
Tempo: Grave (Slow)
Timbre: Aerophone (Male Voices)
Texture: Polyphonic
Tonality: Minor 


Structure:

-Motet
-5 Voice
-Phrygian mode


Context:

-Renaissance Era
-Latin Text
-Sacred (Intended for mass at the church)
- Text is from the Bible (A Psalm) 
-Acapella 
- Male Choir
-Time Frame: 15th Century

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Guillaume Dufay - Listening Journal


Dufay - Nuper Rosarum Flores


Musical Elements

Key: G Modal
Meter: Changes Constantly
Tempo: Moderato
Timbre:Aerophone (trumpet, male and female voices)
Texture: Polyphonic
Tonality: (Major, some instances of minor)



Structure

Motet
Organum (Triplum)
Four Stanzas
isorhythmic 



Context

Gregorian Chant
Sacred (written for the church)
Renaissance Era
Time Frame: 14th Century
Language: Latin
Sang in a (mixed) choir


Text

LatinEnglish
Nuper rosarum flores
Ex dono pontificis
Hieme licet horrida
Tibi, virgo coelica,
Pie et sancte deditum
Grandis templum machinae
Condecorarunt perpetim.

Hodie vicarius
Jesu Christi et Petri
Successor Eugenius
Hoc idem amplissimum
Sacris templum manibus
Sanctisque liquoribus
Consecrare dignatus est.

Igitur, alma parens
Nati tui et filia
Virgo decus virginum,
Tuus te Florentiae
Devotus orat populus,
Ut qui mente et corpore
Mundo quicquam exorarit

Oratione tua
Cruciatus et meritis
Tui secundum carnem
Nati Domini sui
Grata beneficia
Veniamque reatum
Accipere mereatur.
Amen.
Recently garlands of roses
given by the Pope
-despite a terrible winter—
adorned this temple of magnificent structure
forever dedicated in a pious an holy fashion
to you, heavenly Virgin.


Today the vicar
of Jesus Christ and successor
of Peter, Eugenius,
has deigned to consecrate this same
vast temple with his sacred hands
and holy liquors.

Therefore, sweet parent
and daughter of your Son,
virgin, flower of virgins,
your devoted people of Florence
prays that anyone in agony
who will have prayed for anything
with a clean mind and body

will deserve to receive
by your prayer
and the merits of your Son in the flesh
the sweet gifts of his Lord and
forgiveness of sins.
Amen.
 
Cantus firmus:
Terribilis est locus iste
Cantus firmus:
Magnificent is this place


Thursday, February 5, 2015

Listening Journal - Machaut

Puis qu'en oubli - Machaut

Musical Elements

Meter: None (Maybe triple)
Tempo: Lento
Timbre: Aerophone (Male Voices)
Texture: Polyphonic
Tonality: Minor
Rhythm: Syncopation ("sui" is Emphasized)

Structure

3 by voice
Syllabic, neumatic
AbaAAbAB size



Elements

Poetry
Genre: Polyphonic song, organum
Time Frame: 13th-14th century
Language: Old French
Love Song
Secular
Written during the middle ages
Style: Acapella

Sunday, February 1, 2015

Listening Journal - Troubadour Song


 "Kalenda Maya" by Raimbaut de Vaqueiras


Musical Elements:

Meter: Triple (It is very hard to tell which kind of triple meter it is. Maybe simple triple)
Tempo: Allegro (Very Lively)
Timbre: Aerophone, Membranophone, 
Tonality: Primarily Major
Emphasis on the "ida" parts (especially towards the end)

Structure:

Strophic (repeating parts)
AABBCC Format 


Context:

Time Frame: 11th-12th Century
Place: France
Language: Old French
Love Song
Lively song so maybe intended for dancing
Poem
Non-sacred



LYRICS

Kalenda maia
Ni fueills de faia
Ni chans d'auzell ni flors de glaia
Non es qe.m plaia,
Pros dona gaia,
Tro q'un isnell messagier aia
Del vostre bell cors, qi.m retraia
Plazer novell q'amors m'atraia
E jaia,
E.m traia
Vas vos, donna veraia,
E chaia
De plaia
.l gelos, anz qe.m n'estraia.

Ma bell' amia,
Per Dieu non sia
Qe ja.l gelos de mon dan ria,
Qe car vendria
Sa gelozia,
Si aitals dos amantz partia;
Q'ieu ja joios mais non seria,
Ni jois ses vos pro no.m tenria;
Tal via
Faria
Q'oms ja mais no.m veiria;
Cell dia
Morria,
Donna pros, q'ie.us perdria.

Con er perduda
Ni m'er renduda
Donna, s'enanz non l'ai aguda
Qe drutz ni druda
Non es per cuda;
Mas qant amantz en drut si muda,
L'onors es granz qe.l n'es creguda,
E.l bels semblanz fai far tal bruda;
Qe nuda
Tenguda
No.us ai, ni d'als vencuda;
Volguda,
Cresuda
Vos ai, ses autr'ajuda.

Tart m'esjauzira,
Pos ja.m partira,
Bells Cavalhiers, de vos ab ira,
Q'ailhors no.s vira
Mos cors, ni.m tira
Mos deziriers, q'als non dezira;
Q'a lauzengiers sai q'abellira,
Donna, q'estiers non lur garira:
Tals vira,
Sentira
Mos danz, qi.lls vos grazira,
Qe.us mira,
Cossira
Cuidanz, don cors sospira.

Tant gent comensa,
Part totas gensa,
Na Beatritz, e pren creissensa
Vostra valensa;
Per ma credensa,
De pretz garnitz vostra tenensa
E de bels ditz, senes failhensa;
De faitz grazitz tenetz semensa;
Siensa,
Sufrensa
Avetz e coneissensa;
Valensa
Ses tensa
Vistetz ab benvolensa.

Donna grazida,
Qecs lauz' e crida
Vostra valor q'es abellida,
E qi.us oblida,
Pauc li val vida,
Per q'ie.us azor, donn' eissernida;
Qar per gencor vos ai chauzida
E per meilhor, de prez complida,
Blandida,
Servida
Genses q'Erecs Enida.
Bastida,
Finida,
N'Engles, ai l'estampida.

Neither calends of May,
nor leaves of beech
nor songs of bird, nor gladiolus flowers
are of my liking,
o noble and merry lady,
until I have a fleet messenger
of your beautiful person to tell me
of new pleasures love and joy
are bringing;
and I repair
to you, true lady;
and let me crush
and strike
the jealous, before I depart from here.

My beautiful friend
by God, this never be:
that out of jealousy one scoffs at my harm,
he'd command a dear price
for his jealousy
if it were such as to part two lovers;
Since never again I'd be happy
nor would I know happiness, without you;
I'd take
such a way
that I'd never be seen by men again;
that day
I'll die,
brave lady, in which I lose you.

How could I lose
or retrieve
a lady, before I have had her?
neither leman nor lover
is such by imagination alone;
but when a suitor turns into a lover
great is the honour he has accrued,
such is the fame produced by a sweet glance;
yet naked
held
you I have never, nor others have won you;
longed for,
obeyed
you I have, without any meed.

I'd hardly rejoice
should I part from you,
my Beautiful Knight, in sorrow,
since it doesn't turn anywhere else
my hart, nor drags me
my desire, since it desires naught else.
The slanderers, I know, would be pleased,
lady, as otherwise they'd find no peace.
Such one would see
and listen to
my loss, who would be indebted to you for it
as he looks at you
and considers
in his presumption, for which my heart sighs.

So kindly blossoms,
shining above all,
noble Beatriz, and so kindly grows
your valour;
in my opinion
your dominion is adorned with worth
and of fair speech, without doubt.
You are the source of gracious deeds;
learning
and mercy
you have, along with knowledge;
valour
beyond all dispute
you clothe in kindness.

Gracious lady,
everyone praises and proclaims
your worth, which gives such pleasure;
and he who forgets you,
prizes life but a trifle
and so I adore you, distinguished lady;
since I have chosen you as the kindest
and as the best, laden with worth,
I have flattered
and served
you more kindly than Eric did Enid.
Composed,
and ended,
Dame Engles, I have the estampida.





Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Listening Journal - Hildegard von Bingen

Ave Generosa

Tempo: Lento
Texture: Monophonic
Timbre: Aerophone (Human Voice)
Musical Characteristics: Syllabic and Neumatic
Meter: None

Text


Original Latin Text
texts from the chants of
Hildegard von Bingen
______________________________
Ave generosa

Ave, generosa,
gloriosa et intacta puella.
Tu pupilla castitatis,
tu materia sanctitatis,
que Deo placuit.

Nam hec superna infusio in te fuit,
quod supernum Verbum in te carnem induit.

Tu candidum lilium,
quod Deus ante omnem creaturam inspexit.

O pulsherrima et dulcissima,
quam valde Deus in te delectabatur,
cum amplexionem caloris sui in te posuit,
ita quod Filius eius de te lactatus est.

Venter enim tuus gaudium havuit,
cum omnis celestis symphonia de te sonuit,
quia, Virgo, Filium Dei portasti,
ubi castitas tua in Deo claruit.

Viscera tua gaudium habuerunt,
sicut gramen, super quod ros cadit,
cum ei viriditatem infudit,
ut et in te factum est,
o Mater omnis gaudii.

Nunc omnis Ecclesia in gaudio rutilet
ac in symphonia sonet
propter dulcissima Virginem
et laudabilem Mariam, dei Genitricem.

Amen
______________________________English Translation
texts from the chants of
Hildegard von Bingen
______________________________
Ave generosa

I behold you,
noble, glorious and whole woman,
the pupil of purity.
You are the sacred matrix
in which God takes great pleasure.

The essences of Heaven flooded into you,
and the Great Word of God dressed itself in flesh.

You appeared as a shining white lily,
as God looked upon you before all of Creation.

O lovely and tender one,
how greatly has God delighted in you.
For He has placed His passionate embrace within you,
so that His Son might nurse at your breast.

Your womb held joy,
with all the celestial symphony sounding through you,
Virgin, who bore the Son of God,
when your purity became luminous in God.

Your flesh held joy,
like grass upon which dew falls,
pouring its life-green into it,
and so it is true in you also,
o Mother of all delight.

Now let all Ecclesia shine in joy
and sound in symphony
praising the most tender woman,
Mary, the bequeather/seed-source of God.

Amen.




Friday, January 23, 2015

Musical Eras Blog Post

Piece #1: "Love Dream" by Franz Liszt


Period: Romantic Era

Musical Elements
Key: A-flat Major
Meter: 6/4
Tonality: Major and Minor
Rhythm: Syncopation
Timbre: Chordophone (Piano)
Tempo: Poco allegro, con affetto
Texture: Monophonic

Structure 
The piece starts off slow and gentle in the beginning. It seems as though the piece is telling a story of a wonderful dream full of happiness (in this part of the piece the tonality is almost entirely major. After this phase, there is a pause that starts off like the beginning of the first part, gentle and light, but then the speed of the piece picks up, and the tonality of the piece start to contrast (the main part is major, with an underlying minor part) and as this phase of the piece continues, element syncopation is used. The piece continues to go down hill, still major, but more minor than before. I would say that this is the resolution of the piece, and the dream is taking a darker tone, there is quite a buildup of tension at this point. There is another pause, and the next phase that is introduced is what I would call "The Awakening". It sounds like the piece is "waking up" it is more gentle and soft, like before, but the minor used in this part gives the piece an essence of sadness.



Piece #2: "Ponolaise" by Frédéric Chopin
Period: Romantic Era
Musical Elements
Key: B-flat Major
Meter: 3/4
Tonality: Major 
Rhythm: Hemiola, Syncopation 
Timbre: Chordophone (Piano)
Tempo: Allegro
Texture: Monophonic


Structure 
This piece has a bright, uppity tone to it, due to Chopin's use of Hemiolas. The first phase starts out seeming like it will be a dark piece, but then it transitions. When listening to this piece it sounds like there are two melodies to the piece, but really it is just the melody and harmony complementing each other. Towards the middle of the piece, there are more pauses and the tempo slows down. At the end, the piece almost mimics the begging, with the same transition from dark to light.


Compare:
Chopin and Liszt are composers from the Romantic Era. In the pieces I have selected, both composers have composed songs that are bright, and draw emotion to the listener. Both pieces are monophonic, have a major key, and use the piano only to deliver their piece.

Contrast:
These pieces vary in meter (Bach's 3/4, Liszt's 6/8). I think there is a correlation between the composer's choice of meter and the uniqueness of the piece. Liszt's piece is more complex than Bach's which gives it this unique sound that immediately catches your attention, and it draws emotion from the listener.

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Theory in Practice: Extended Analysis Project - Cello Suite No. 1 In G Major, BWV 1007




Song of Choice: Unaccompanied Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major (Prélude), BWV 1007

 - STEP 2: LISTENING ANALYSIS -
Context
Composer - Johann Sebastian Bach
Composition Date - 1717-1723
Style of Music (Period): Baroque


Musical Elements
Meter - This is hard to tell since it changes frequently but I don't hear any triplets, so I would say (duple simple)
Tonality - Major (Possibly some minor occurrences)
Rhythm: Staccato
Timbre - Chordophone (Cello)
Tempo - Allegro
Texture - There is only one part in this piece, so if anything (Monophonic)

Structure (Fix)
In the whole piece has multiple sections to it, but they all seem to be related somehow.
AB(or extended B)ABC
There are parts where the cello has a "darker" sound to it, and towards the end it ends on higher, "brighter" note

 - STEP 3: DECIPHERING THE SCORE -
- Markings -
Tempo - Allegro (A fast tempo marking between allegretto and vivace)
cresc. - The abbreviation for crescendo 
f - forte
mf - mezzoforte
ff - Abbreviation for fortissimo 
p - piano
Suite - A collection of short musical pieces that can be played one after another. The pieces are usually dance movements
Prélude - An instrumental composition intended to introduce a larger composition or a set of compositions. A short composition for a piano. A composition which establishes the key for a composition that immediately follows
oder. - optional way to play a certain section

- Techniques -
Slurs - Indicates that two or more notes are to be places in one physical stroke
Ties -Indicates that two or more notes are to be played as one note (The notes must be the identical on the same line/space)

- Stylistic Instructions - 
Accidentals - A mark placed before a note which indicates that the previously understood pitch of the note should be altered by one or two half steps 
Sharp - Raises the pitch of a note by one semitone
Flat - Lowers the pitch of a note by one semitone
Natural - Cancels a previous accidental, or modifies the pitch of a sharp or flat as defined by the prevailing key signature

- Articulation - 
Staccato - Indicates the note is to be played shorter than notated, usually half the value
Fermata -A notes, chord, or rest sustained longer than its customary value


- STEP 4: HARMONIC/CADENCE/PARTWRITING ANALYSIS -
In my piece my section was measures 1-7.
I'm not really sure if in the third measure that the correct chord is vii, since the third seems to be missing. I'm not sure if the C# is a passing tone, but I do know it doesn't belong in the scale so it is a chromatic note.



















STEP 5:  COMMUNICATING YOUR DISCOVERIES
Bach's Unaccompanied Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major (Prélude) only has one "voice": the cello. There are no signs of part-writing in the piece (since it was only written for one voice), so this piece is different from any other pieces we have studied (regarding part-writing) in class. The thing that I enjoy most about the piece is Bach's technique of using slurs. When listening to the piece, the use of slurs makes the song sound sound unique and melodic. They keep the song interesting, and no measure seems to sound the same. I also like how the beginning of the song it sounds bright, then there is this dark phase in the middle, and after that phase, towards the end, it sounds brighter. Bach's use of staccato in the end provides a transition from the piece's "dark phase" and introduces the "brighter" sound of the piece. I think the neighbor tones keep the piece interesting as well.