Cosmia Analysis

Music is sound organized by humans; audible statement that mirrors a way of life or a way of thinking; a language spoken directly, without translation, between people who understand. In this class we studied liberal arts, and how it uses general intellectual development rather than opposed training, to develop a musical analysis of music such as “The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez”. To develop an analysis, we group the organization of music into five musical elements rhythm, melody, harmony, texture, and form, and we find some type of organization or order in these pieces like pulse and background instruments to help identify these elements.

Section one is introduced with a pedal solo which is used to maintain the rhythm of a ¾ pattern that is consistently present throughout the entire piece and initiates the ostinato theme. A significant part of section one can be distinguished in measure 33 where the melody of both hands shifts to the swell organ manual. Also, the melody switches again to the choir organ manual in measure 49.

Often music is consisted not only by sounds made from musical instruments, but also by voice and verbal messages. The structure of the voice, or as Roland Barthes describes it ‘the grain of voice’ is the element in a certain piece of music which is responsible for creating the emotions when listening. The grain and the lyrics make the signified and carry out the message. The vocal part of music is formed of words, text, which communicate and make the representation and expression of what it is sung - talked about. According to Barthes the emotive modes of the voice and the changes of the tones from low to high is what delivers the final message and makes us feel the music. (Barthes, R. 1977 [1972]).

The song incorporates a slow-mid tempo, complex harmonies, appropriate use of legato and staccato, slightly swinging rhythm, warm and thin timbre, minimal vibrato, smooth melody, and a calm dynamic performance. The instrumentation of this song is composed of mainly R&B instruments such as: electric guitars, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, organ, electric pad, keyboard, strings, and a drum set with auxiliary percussion. The song is comprised of mostly minor notes and high pitches, making the vocals vary in range. The use of these musical elements makes the song delightful to listen.

This piece has quite a few elements like the use of musical ideas. There are both A and B ideas expressed through the music lasting no longer than six seconds. This of course is different pertaining to solos due to the fact

In this essay we will analyze two modern musical pieces. These pieces are namely Sonata V from John Cage’s Sonatas and Interludes, and Caballito Negro by George Crumb. Composed in mid twentieth century, both pieces made a great success and they are worth examining in terms of the historical and subjective values affecting their achievements.

Instruments I heard during this music piece were violins, violas, and clarinets. The first theme within the music is exposition; the music begins quiet for a short amount of time. However, during the middle, the transition becomes louder. The second subject begins quiet and gets louder towards the end. The second theme, the development is loud within the middle of the music however, the music begins and ends quietly. There is dynamics that contrast within this part of the music. The dynamics in the recapitulation is similar to the exposition, where the first subject is quiet from the middle to where the transition is louder. Then the second subject begins quiet and gets louder towards the end. The first and second theme contrast in nature by there rhythmic composition. The first theme has shorter values, whereas, the second theme has longer.

2. The sounds (and silences) that comprise a musical work organized in some way * Music is a form of organized sound

Melody: “Titan” in the beginning had a very gentle melody. As it opened the music was calm and peaceful. The shape started out very contour or a small wave, but as the music progressed the shape began to show ascending and descending patterns. The movement of the music was both conjunct and disjunct. A climax was present in the 4th section. There are a couple of times when the music builds up as if it were about to reach the climax but then descends and doesn’t reach the climax until nearly the end.

The very first music piece started off slow but then flutes and chimes came in and took the song to a different level. It then later on has the same type of beat which helps it continue to flow. I really like the flute solo that was played around the middle of the song. In the next song it starts out as if it is a church choir. The song sounds serious and probably takes part of some ritual or ceremony. The third song sounds very inviting and calm. This song also is song by a choir or a group of people. Throughout the video the church is present so in that case this means that this song had an importance inside the church. The beginning of the fourth song is different by how the drums are the first things you hear. In this song you will also presence all the songs playing at the same time. The

The instrumentation in The Swan composition is a violincello that was transcribed by the harp and viola, and the tempo is played both slowly and quickly. The cello is the baritone of the strings, which creates a melodious tone both deep and dulcet. Furthermore, the other instruments that were played in the background were the harp and violas, which are the accompaniments of the cello’s solo. The harp has a ringlike sharp tone and the viola provides a lower pitch that has a rich, complete tone. The harp and the viola play a harmony, timbre, and rhythm for the cello’s solo. Additionally, cellos are usually used to compose classical music, which probably influenced the composer to use a cello because it will connect better to The Dying Swan poem. The cello created a deeply inspirational sound that other instruments would of probably have failed to produce. Moreover, the tempo of the composition starts off by playing slowly, to give a serious or solemn feeling because the poem starts off by giving a vivid depressed feeling to the reader. Then, in some parts of the

Musical genres can be often analyzed from two standpoints: the way the genre approaches musical harmony and the genre’s stylistics. There is Country with its rudimentary melodic approach, which in a majority of times is merely a backdrop for stories that cover themes such as love, freedom, religion, and, unsurprisingly, the aspects of life in the countryside. A major part of Country’s aesthetics is reached with the use of very few recognizable instruments, such as fiddles and banjos. On the other hand, we have Jazz, whose most renowned contributors were quite often creating instrumental pieces exclusively, praising structural and melodic complexity as their ultimate goals. Throughout its history, Jazz was moving in all directions, experimenting with all sorts of instruments and musical movements.

The introduction starts with every instrument playing and an attempted take off of the chorus, contrasting the idea of one melody growing in Led Zeppelin’s version. The arranged variation begins in E flat major and modulates to D major. There is no clear melody evident at all throughout the piece, as the number of instruments playing at similar volumes, makes it hard to determine. Ornamentation is also a key musical flourish in the original, that lacks in Victor Lopez’s version, as there is no guitar and therefore none of the brilliant guitar techniques mentioned above, to make the music come alive and become more than just notes on a page.

The pattern of the song has a beat that repeats itself at a fixed rate. In addition to the fixed rate, the song has an accent where one beat is emphasized and this can be heard by the increased volume of that specific note. Towards the end of the song, the melodic contour of the song can be described as a descending melodic contour as the pitches descend from high to low. This is done by the artist holding out their voices for a lengthened amount of time. Furthermore, the phonic structure of this piece can be described as a monophonic piece. Monophony means that the performers play the same pitches with the same rhythms. Even though the song incompasses a wide varitey of instruments, the rhythm of the song stays relatively the same Another important aspect of the song is the dynamics. The beginning of the song can be classified as a crescendo because of the increased musical sound from the instruments, however, towards the end there is a decrescendo as the volume falls off and the artists holds on and extends the last note. The crescendo in the beginning of the song is interesting to note because the song starts off acapella and gradually the volume begins to increase when the first musical instrument comes into play. Last but not least, this piece of music contains a lot of repetition. The vocal repetition of the songs title serves as a

Music from all over the world presents a range of musical theories. Some of these are documented in writing whilst others are transmitted orally. Discuss and give examples with reference to both Western and non-Western music.