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Music Is More Than What The Average Ear Hear

Decent Essays
There is much more to music than what the average ear hears. Music is a form of art which can tell a story on behalf of the culture it comes from. In Sergio Mendes’ piece, “Magdalenha”, it appears to be a piece in which people gather around to celebrate an occasion. Now I use the world celebrate loosely because I am not familiar with the cultural background. This piece could be a religious gathering, a mourning of life, or simply a party. It is through the ethnomusicologist’s tool box that we can gain a better understanding of the piece even if that gained knowledge is about the music itself and not the culture behind it. The way the music is composed says a lot about the piece. The timbre of the instruments can often depict the feeling behind the piece. This feeling is culturally determined however, with the aid of a visual representation we can get a snip it of what the overall mood would be. In Sergio Mendes’, “Magdalenha” the timbre of the triangle (idiophone) in the beginning has a bit of a twangy ring to it. Then when the voices come in around 0:12, they are soft. The first voice is a male solo in which he sings a section and it’s as if the female voices following, respond to him. The timbre of the triangle and the voices suggest a more upbeat feeling and this can be supported by the way they are dancing in the video. However, to avoid ethnocentrism, I cannot “label” the piece as happy. In composing a piece, there is a lot to consider. The use of different
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