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.

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.

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.