Music Is A Great Passion For Many People

As a University of Northern Iowa College student taking Soundscapes, I attended a recital by Annalea Milligan on Wednesday Oct. 19th, 2016 at 8:00 p.m. in Davis Hall, a small auditorium, at the Gallagher Bluedorn. Annalea Milligan received her Bachelor of Music degree in performance at Pacific Conservatory of Music, and is currently a first-year graduate student pursuing a Master of Music degree in bassoon performance at University of Northern Iowa. For the first half of the program she played the bassoon in Rhapsody composed by Willson Osborne and then she was accompanied by Mariya Akhadjanova on piano playing Variations on Theme of Pergolesi composed by Otmar Nussio which included I. Arietta, II. Scherzetto, III. Tamburino, IV. Lamento, V. Ostinato, VI. Rapsodia, VII. Elegia, VIII. Barbaresca, IX. Stornello, and X. Danza. Then after a brief intermission Milligan played the bassoon and was accompanied by Serena Hou with the harpsichord playing Concerto in G Minor, RV 495 composed by Antonio Vivaldi which included Presto, Largo, and Allegro, not to mention she also played Bachianas Brasileiras No. 6 composed by Heitor Villa-Lobos and was accompanied by Azeem Ward with the flute which included I. Aria (Choro), and II. Fantasia. I will depict the first and second part of the recital and describe my reaction and total opinion about the overall concert.

This article discusses the world’s need for classical music and why it will always be relevant. The author explores what makes certain things “art” and why certain other things are simply entertainment. He claims that classical music can never die because it is fundamentally different from many other types of popular music. It defines what makes art different from entertainment and answers the age old question of who gets to judge between them. In an age that dooms classical music to inevitable failure, this article offers a refreshing different perspective in a much more hopeful light.

On September 19, 2016, I attended a live performance at “Villa Elba Lounge” in the Bronx, New York. The group featured was “Felo Swing y su Orquesta” and the main singer was Felo Swing. During the presentation, the eight members of the group played an important role to accomplish their goal, which was entertaining. However, two of them had more than one function: they were part of the choir. But, also each one of them had to play an instrument; one a piano, and the other one a guitar. Most of the time, Felo Swing was featured as a soloist, because he sang most of the songs alone. The remaining five members of the group had also fundamental parts of the presentation: two of them played guitars, one the bongo, one the drum, and the only woman

This concert took place on Thursday March 16, 2017 in the Atkinson Recital Hall located at New Mexico State University in the Music Center at 7:30 in the evening. The concert consisted of four jazz bands, NMSU jazz one and two as well Las Cruces High school jazz band one and two. The first the stage the NMSU jazz II, director by Pancho Romero. The first song they had played was “Primera Vista composed by Wayne Wallace”. Along with the jazz band they also have a few percussionists as well, on bongos, xylophone, and a drum set. The band also played two more songs called “Undecided arranged by Mike Tomaro/Shavers” and “Afro Blue arranged by Michael Mossman/Santamaria”. My favorite was the Afro blue song, there was a lot of solos which I loved

Having the Merasi, master musicians of Rajasthan, perform live at Colby College provided students and faculty with a cultural experience unlike any that I have attended. The Merasi, from the Thar Desert in Pakistan, have found great success through their music despite their status in the caste system. As a family group, they have been able to gain the international attention that they needed to establish both music and literacy education for their people back home. Although very few people in our audience could understand their lyrics, the emotion and physical movements of the musicians were effective in conveying the overall themes of their songs. From watching this live performance of Rajasthani music, I was able to observe how the music itself, the behaviour of the musicians and audience, and the function of the music interacted to transport a small part of Rajasthan to the Pugh Center giving the audience a glimpse into its culture.

Vuelta del Fuego is a Mexican based piece designed to captivate the “Zorro” like sound generated in Hollywood films. It combination of this with the “over-the-top romance” feel of Mexican style gives it a certain uniqueness and swagger to each melodic line that is passed throughout. Translated to “(The) Ride of Fire” this piece is long imaginary thrill ride that elevates an ensembles musicianship to the next level. Its fast tempos in combination with difficult melodic lines make this piece enjoyable to listen to, and it is slowly becoming a staple in the brass quintet

On Sunday, April 9 at the Rio Grande we went to go see viva espana. It was NMSU dancers doing a Spanish tribute of dancing and well as more Spanish cultured music. The dancers came out in very vibrate colorful floral dresses that were long at the end and puffy enough for them to grab and swing around in there dances. Majority of the dances they did lot of stomping and clapping as well swinging their dresses around. The music was mostly like guitar solos but had some other Latin songs with other instruments in there as well. They also had a guitar player there who performed to two solo on his guitar called “mysterious habitats” and “recuerdos de la Alhambra” everything about to the girls dancing and the guitar playing was very authentic

After viewing the film Selena (1997), a memoir of Quintanilla’s life, I wanted to know more about her and the complicated life she led. The movie was a success because of its accurate portrayal of the conflicts in her life. I became engrossed in her story and was inspired to begin my learning interest in her culture. Now my passion for Latina empowerment consists of a wide array of genres because my admiration for Selena’s Latin-Pop has influenced my likes for Culture and traditions of my Latina family and the music. Never the less the music is a big part of my life, for it is my personal therapy. Now I have become a involved due to my immediate family members are part Hispanic. The impact of her death was extensive from the consecutive broadcasts

On Sunday, October 30, 2016 I attended the Faure Requiem and the student Mariachi from Mexico that was perform at the Roosevelt High School Auditorium. The concert celebrated music for Dia de los Muertos and All Saints Day. These were various celebration to honor the dead. Roosevelt High school Pam Galicia, and Taylor Ledak teamed up with Anna Hamre, a performer professor at Fresno State, to provide the special concert that gave the audience a chance to explore the common ground of different cultures who share the same holiday. After everything was prepared and the audience was ready, Conductor Hamre came out to a welcoming applause. She bowed to everyone before she went to her podium and summoned aloud the tuning notes

They lingered beside the violinists for a while to hear the mesmerizing sounds. Certainly, the quality of the ethereal music was as excellent as from any orchestra in the world. The nonpareil musicians wore matching T-shirts with the words “Soul” and “Mate” set against the vivid colors of the Jamaican flag. Behind the violinists were two frayed green backpacks bulging with all their worldly possessions. On the ground beside them was an open, battered brown violin case with the words “Gabriel and Rafaela” on the inside in shiny gold thread. As Surina and Heidi threw a few coins into the empty violin case, the male violinist, most

Four years ago,  I joined a concert that makes a great influence on my life. The Formosa Quartet played three contrasting pieces in the concert that is a Mozart quartet, a Brahms viola quintet, and a Schumann piano quintet. The concert is impressed. Especially, when they played Brahms viola quintet, op.111. The character they make in three contrasting piece impressed me. This is the first time I knew the power of music would be. I felt that I can understand the ideas they want to convey to the audience without words.  They are a group to play music in unison. Meanwhile, each of them has their own character.  After the concert, I started to think--playing in a string quartet in the US.

The theme of this concert was very relevant to the season. All the songs sounded wintery, and perfect for Christmas. While all the songs played into the general theme of the concert, the mood and style of each of the songs was different. The first song, Andante Festivo, was played by the stings and was a little slow paced but at the same time uplifting. The nest song, Divertimento, was fast paced and sounded happy. This song was also played by the strings. Reverie was played by the strings, and it was slow, but dramatic. The next song was a solo for the violin players. It was 3 different Rumanian folk dances. The songs were fast and kind of pop-ish. The instrumentals last song was Merry Christmas, Darling, which was slow and reflective. The first song that the choir and piano perform is Daybreak, the piano sounded fun and the vocals very high. The next song was

The heritage of the Conquista, the conquest of Middle and South America by the Spanish presents itself nowadays mostly in a culinary fashion: cocoa, chocolate, corn, tomatoes. Albeit living in a global age, lesser known and little researched is the music origination in the New World; music that interlinks the cultures of three continents. Beside the less pleasant actions undertaken by both the European clerical and secular subjugators, it was also the conquistadores that brought music along with them from the old continent. This music quickly spread throughout the colonies and settlements. Exposed to local influences, the music was soon shaped to please the local ear. After all, when the Dominican and the Jesuit missionaries took off to preach the gospel, music was one of their most important messengers. Most notably in Mexico, Bolivia and Peru, a breathtaking wealth of music has been written in the 17th and 18th century. Even though we are not to forget the brutal

Music is a huge part of our everyday life. Many people don’t realize that music plays a significant role in in the way it affects the human brain. It connects and helps us share experiences with loved ones, friends, and random acquaintances. The variety of genres lets us explore the different emotions as we listen to specific songs, whether or not its pop, hip-hop/ rap, indie, country, rock/ heavy & death metal, classical, dance, jazz, blues, soul, reggae, and opera. Psychologists seem to believe the answer lies within the rhythm, tone, lyrics, and melody of the music. A great and inspiring songwriter/ vocalist, Mitch Lucker, said, “Keep listening to music, cause it gets you through everything. I promise.” My question is, why do people turn to music rather than friends or family? Considering this, what is it about music that helps us through difficult obstacles in life? According to many psychologist music can affect mood, health, mind, and learning ability.

This afternoon, I went to the music concert hall where is located in the music building for the listening hour, a small noon-time concert which is performed by the staff and students from the music majors. Since it is a free noon-time concert, most of the audiences just wear the t-shirts and jeans to the concert. Dresses are not required for the concert. The performance today is given by the Ananda Jazz Ensemble. They have played “Running Away”, composed by Bob Marley; “Madalena”, composed by Ivan Linz; “Conejitos y Ananda”, composed by Abi Romero; “La Bikina”, composed by Ruben Fuentes; and “Chukaro”, also composed by Abi Romero. Because this is a Latin Americdan Journey, all of the music performed is jazz music. All pieces played in the concert are an ensemble of piano, bass, and drums. During the concert, I was trying to be a perceptive listener; I enjoyed the music with concentration and paid attention to the music’s unity and variety, such as the dynamics and tempos. I also tried to associate the music with a picture when I listened to it and understand the emotion in the music.