Music And Music : Carol Of The Bells

One the afternoon of Sunday, 03 May, 2015, I was watched a performance of the North Dakota State University Spring Choral Concert Festival Concert Hall at North Dakota State University. The NDSU Concert Choir has a distinguished tradition of performing eminent choral literature at the highest level of artistry.

Mel Torme, nicknamed the velvet frog, was born in Chicago in 1925. He was known for being a jazz composer and arranger, actor of television and films; he was also the author of 5 books. The piece “The Christmas song” (chestnuts roasting on an open fire) was composed by him, he also co-wrote the lyrics to the song.

The most successful aspect of the performance for me were the scene changes. I found that the rotation of the blackboard, center stage, where the actors were able to stoop beneath it in order to enter and exit the stage, was an effective touch to this

The music played throughout all of the concerts adhered to be diverse. The instruments, the individuals performing, and the conductor all proved to be outstanding. The concerts proved to be interesting as I witnessed them, first hand.

First, the overall tone in all three pieces was phenomenal, but there were a couple spots during the performance that were not as amazing as the rest of the performance. In the first song, Hamilton by Jerry Brubaker, it was hard to hear certain sections

In my opinion, that is the reason why we listened to this piece of music. To try and be exposed to a work that has a large supply of instruments and a choir at the same time. From listening to it, they did a very good job of incorporating the choir with the music. The choir was also very synchronized as well. They did not get too high or too low as a group. One of the differences with this piece of music is they incorporate different types of music and the choir sings from the very beginning. One thing that was very enjoyable was how strong and powerful the choir sang at the end of the piece. Once, again, the most difficult thing about listening to this piece was the lack of understanding any of the

The composer that I chose is Charles Ives, an American modernist and musical composer from the 20th century born on October 20, 1874 in a small town of Danbury, CT and died on May 19, 1954 in New York City, NY. Charles Ives was one of the first American composers international renown and had a unique voice in American music. Which today he’s known for his amazing original orchestral music and as an American composer and Musician.

Dr. Howard Hanson enjoyed a celebrated international music career including becoming the first composer to enter the American Academy in Rome in 1921, an appointment as director of the Eastman School of Music in 1924, and winning a Pulitzer Prize in 1944 for his Symphony No. 4. Chorale and Alleluia was Dr. Hanson's first of five works for wind band, commissioned in 1954 by Edwin Franko Goldman for the American Bandmasters Association.

Considering that the concert consisted of more classical music the stage and the musicians was divided depending on instruments. Although it was not singing each, instrument held its own dynamic but still maintained a perfect polyphonic feel as the song progressed. After each song, the Director effortless began to explain the songs and continue a personable connection with the audience. While viewing the concert, I came to the understanding that the Directors are very important to the show. They are the leader, voice, and connector to the musicians

“God bless us, everyone,” said Tiny Tim in the Christmas Carol. The Christmas Carol is the most searched books of the internet by Charles Dickens. The 1984 movie had many similarities to the book, but it also had many differences. In this movie the characters were all very similar to in the book.

The overall concert offered a wide verity of choir song, from classical pieces composed by Mozart to musical show tunes. The combination of which resulted in an overall enjoyable experience. The concert was not the first choir concert I had ever attended so I went in expecting it to be similar to the high school choir performances I have seen before. I was not expecting the scale of the concert to be so large. Instead of being one choir and an hour-long program there were four groups along with a much longer program. Each of the choir groups had a different dynamic, sound and feel to it. The differences made it interesting.

When admitted to a hospital patients may feel they have little control over their situation and the surrounding environment. Using a call bell to meet their needs is perhaps one of a few things that gives patients a feeling that they still have some control. The title of the article Dance of the Call Bells: Using Ethnography to Evaluate Patient Satisfaction with Quality of Care, suggests that the key phenomenon of the study was the evaluation of patients’ satisfaction with quality of care they received in terms of their experience in the use of call bells (Deitrick, Bokovoy, Glenn, & Panik, 2006). The title did not describe the population, group or community under study, other than stating that the population was “patients”. The title did not state that phenomenon was also looked at and analyzed through perspectives of family members and staff, nor did it mention that the study was done on a med-surgical unit.

Who is the composer (full name and dates)? List three points about his life and environment.

Lully Lullay is also known as the Coventry Carol from an English Christmas Carol in the 16th century. The carol was placed as a play in England; it s a mystery called “The Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors.” The play is based on the Gospel of Matthew saying ;

Somehow, no matter what we are facing we always seem to pull it together during the concert. I loved the 2 soloists in 1-2 and how much courage they had to give it their all even though it was their first time being in choir. Choir 3-4 always amazes me with their rich sound. They sound so sophisticated and mature. It was also interesting to hear them perform another rendition of a song we had sang last year. Also, the middle schoolers did wonderful with their carol of the bells. In terms of our set list, I would say Gborn was our best piece. I heard the most feedback from the audience about how that song was beautiful, angelic, and just rich overall. I think we could have worked on dynamics at times but it is definitely a song that should be taken to tour. My personal favorite was “Merry Christmas Mozart” because it showed the fun side of us and gave the audience some perspective. Plus, as I looked around during that song I saw nothing but smiles. The most touching part of the performance was when the alumni came on stage and sang “Carol of the Bells” with us. It brought back memories of them being with us. It also signified how much of a family we are even after we go to