Annotated Bibliography Of Symphony Orchestra

Even though the size of the violin made it seem less intimidating, learning how to play the violin

Cortney. The first few lessons I attended I was advised not to even touch the bow. Before wielding the bow, it was imperative that I learned the basics of the strings, the notes they produce, and the parts of the violin. This nonetheless was just as exciting to me as playing Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. I began my violin studies through (and continue to practice today) the Suzuki Method, a school of teaching based predominately around training the student to recognize their own mistakes, and to correct them accordingly. Due to this, students learning through Suzuki tend to progress at a substantially slow rate to begin with, until suddenly, something ignites, and the student begins to progress much more rapidly than before. The Suzuki Method admittedly discouraged me at times. Maybe it was because I was only allowed to learn pieces by listening to recordings, and not reading music, or perhaps I found playing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star literally hundreds of times a little too repetitive. Yet I persisted. Consequently, the Suzuki Method and Mrs. Cortney have molded me into a much more refined violinist than I would have ever become through any other method, as well as taught me the values of discipline and

The first concert I attended was performed by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra had performed Shostakovich’s “Symphony NO. 7, Leningrad” from the Romantic era. The orchestra was a large ensemble (1) containing various instruments that contributed to the overall sound of the piece. Since the orchestra was a large ensemble, just like the instrumentation common in the Romantic era, the orchestra was able to perform in a lively, vigorous manner, probably vivace (2). The orchestra performed tutti

The concert performed by the Allen High School Symphony Orchestra, which combines the Chamber and Sinfonia Orchestras, was an amazing concert but was not a flawless one. The pieces all sounded quite wonderful on the outside, but by diving deeper into the music and truly listening to and observing the performance with a sharper eye, there were some problems that appeared in a couple different areas, and those problems came mainly from three distinct areas: tone, technique, and musicianship.

One such piece was Yankee Doddle. Undoubtedly, the power of this piece was due, in no small part, to the concertmaster Zach De Pau. An excellent violinist, his fingers seemed to glide across his instrument, even in the most complex sections. His composure was thrilling and captivating. Dressed in a white polo and long khakis, his vapid attire camouflaged his spirited finger work and vivacious movements. I was enthralled. At every opportunity, De Pau made it his duty to display his virtuosity of the violin. His initial calm composure was quickly debunked during his many

The violin is the smallest and highest pitched string instrument. It is played by a violinist or fiddler. When playing, the violinist holds the violin between the top of his left shoulder and the left side of his chin as he draws the bow across the string or plucks the strings with one or both hands. The sound can be stopped by placing a hand on the strings. The bow is made of wood and horse hair. The violin is tuned in perfect fifths. Music for the violin is written in the treble clef. In the orchestra, the violins play in two groups. These are the first violins and the second violins. In the orchestra, the violins sit to the left of the conductor in rows. The first violins are to the far left and the second violins are to the right of them. The Concert Master is usually a first violin player, and he or she sits in the front row of the first violins.

It was a daunting challenge to tackle as I knew the great notes towered high above me. My days became crammed bursting at the seams as I stuffed hour after hour of pouring over the numerous ledger lines. Eat, sleep, practice, and repeat. Mom express ordered a heavy metal practice mute to tame my cacophonous hours of practice, as I fiercely sawed throughout the night mastering note after note, measure after measure. I, eventually, devolved into a coffee fueled musical robot addicted to the sharp smell of varnish, the sight of rosin flying, and the sound of strings singing.

Fritz Kreisler could easily be called the best violinist of his time. When he was three he constructed a working instrument from a cigar box and shoestrings, and played it in perfect pitch (“Fritz Kreisler”). He showed a natural aptitude for the violin. Fritz Kreisler is a hero because he is intelligent, brave, and noble. Kreisler was very intelligent.

This statement is pointing at the increased disconnect between the likes and preferences of the youth population or rather the younger entrepreneurs and the ideas that are increasingly propagated by the orchestra players. It should be noted that a large number of individual donors and institutional funders are questioning the continued investment in orchestras, yet the musicians continue to build their hopes on the efficiency of renewed fundraising efforts without considering the change or dynamic nature of the feelings of younger generations regarding this type of music. In essence, the orchestra musicians simply want to ignore their current need for gratification and instead pay attention to ideas that are alien to them. This should point to what is already wrong with the orchestra world of music. Of course, there are people who are attracted to it simply because it sets them apart from the masses who would not feel at ease paying excessively for a type of music that does not offer gratification to their immediate needs. However, a vast majority would only feel comfortable paying for music that appeals to their souls. Essentially, it should be clear that the financial problems that are attributable to the

Fifth grade was the year, the year everyone at Oak Ridge Elementary School looked forward to. This was the year we got to ditch the recorder, and pick up a real instrument. A violin. As expected, we learned the basics; nothing more than the names of the parts of the instrument, and how to play the open strings. But ever since that day in 2011, I have been irrevocably in love with playing the violin.

Music has become such an important part of people’s lives today. One cannot walk down the street without seeing earbuds in a person’s ears or hearing the bass to a radio in someone’s car. But how did music become such an important and constant part of the lives of so many? What do artists have to go through to reach their audience? At the beginning of musical development from the medieval Georgian chant to the arias of Mozart and fugues of Beethoven, people could only listen to music in a live setting. This is how most performers would make their money. According

Antonio Stradivari is quite often referred to as the greatest violin and stringed instrument maker to ever live. Much of this credit is given to Stradivari because people simply know his name. Countless violinists have expressed over the years the great frequency that people always ask them if they own a Stradivari instrument or not. The reality is, although Antonio Stradivari was certainly a master at his work, he was not the only one to create stringed instruments and certainly was not the first to do so. People remember Stradivari because of the quality of the instruments that he made. Much of our basis for stringed instruments to date has been, however, influenced by Antonio Stradivari. The basis for Stradivari’s influence on future generations of musicians and instrument makers was shaped by events that happened before Stradivari was born, the perfectionist way he established his workshop, his death, and the physics and name of his instruments.

There have been thousands of orchestras played around the world. One of the most known and popular orchestral concerts of today is George Michael’s Symphonic Orchestra Tour. I decided to mainly focus on his appearance at Echo Arena in London on October 10th, 2012. Michael performed amongst a symphony orchestra that included a number of instruments that will be discussed throughout the paper. A symphony orchestra is classified as an ensemble of strings grouped with a wide range of woodwinds, brass, and percussion instruments. The instruments that were present were violins, harp, bassoons, pianos, cello, French horn, drums sets, bongo drums, flutes, guitar, and double basses. All these instruments played an important role in creating the special

The feeling of sitting down in a dark movie theater with a bucket of buttered popcorn and your favorite drink is a common experience for most Americans. The lights dim down and the theater is filled with music; whether it’s intense battle music, sweet soft ballets, or a somber melody, the music sets the mood. What most people don’t know is that just over four percent of the musicians in American orchestras are of black or Latino decent, a statistic that hasn’t gone through much change in the last decade. This leads us to wonder why classical music is so racist. The four main issues with racism in the classical music industry today are the low percent of minority’s in the United States and Britain, the lack of classical music opportunities in inner city schools, low advertisement of classical music to minority’s, and an unjust audition and commissioning process.

Orchestra concerts are an example of music being presented in an emotional and artistic manner. Often people, mainly think of contemporary music when they hear about orchestra concerts. Music composed in the late 1970s to 1990s. But its music extends to much further than that. Scores have been performed from many composers in grand concerts that originate from many sources. These sources include movies, television shows, and even video games. The level of emotion that these concerts express varying from excitement, sadness, intensity, and many others. As a listener, you feel absorbed in the dramatic conducting of the composer and the unity of the orchestra as a whole. Even the setting of the concert can be cinematic as other displays show the grandeur of an orchestra. Our bodies were meant to take in the sounds of music more so than the images. What we derive happens automatically as we drown in the mixture of emotions orchestra has to offer.