Piano Music Critique

The concert started off at a quick and stimulating pace with Brahms’s Sonata for Two Pianos in F Minor. The piece starts with descending arpeggios echoing a sensation of distress or confusion. There are frequent slight pauses, creating a sense of suspense for what is to follow and building on the emotions

A quite hush comes over the crowd as the lights dim in the club; the band shuffles as they prepare for the set to begin. From behind the stage he comes, walking slowly to the microphone. As the song begins, the club goes silent. The piano strikes first, opening with a slow back and forth tune before he finally lets the small brass instrument sing. Under the glow of the stage lighting, the trumpet seems to sparkle, every movement and swing sends sparks into the audience. Some in the crowd recognize the tune, but notice something a little off – as if the song had been forever altered. This new melody, while not fitting the usual tone of the speakeasy, sank into the audience; a new emphasis on civil rights.

Then, it comes out of nowhere. The biggest climax, suddenly brought on like a wave crashing against a cliff’s edge. The oboe melody recurs again, this time less sorrowful than inviting. Come back, it sings. And the flute comes skipping over the sound, the sun rising from behind black clouds. But the melody it plays sounds out of place, lower than and not as bright as what it could be. My fingers twitch, following the flute countermelody as if I were up there playing with them—as I should be.

Memories of the night before became a vivid memory in the recesses of his dimly lit mind, underneath the sunlight's intruding yet blissful gaze and the sensation of silk against his bare skin felt like a euphoria, a river of midnight encased his slender figure and with the scrunch of his refined nose and furrowed knit of his thin eyebrows, he rose from his slumber. Delicate fingertips leisurely danced across the silken sheets which lost its assuaging warmth only to discern that he was gone, Padding through the spacious house far too big for two alone to fill, and too much of a burden for one to find comfort in. To see his lover, clad in a suit that managed to take his breath away immediately

Both movements in this sonata began with slow introduction played by cellist, and later accompanied by the piano. The first movement, Andante, was first gentle and soft, giving me a sense of serenity and peace. However, the tempo suddenly increased after the abrupt shift to Allegro vivace. The sudden change in tempo, rhythm, and dynamic surprised me like a ringing alarm suddenly wake me up from a sweet and placid dream, bringing me back to the cruel reality. The second movement, Adagio, also started with a slow introduction but both performers played together instead of just the cellist. As the second movement progressed the tempo became faster and the melody became more playful and animated, along with unexpected pauses. The second movement reminded me of the story of Alice in Wonderland. I could imagine a little girl experiencing a wonderful adventure in the wonderland and encountering and playing mysterious characters and objects. I enjoyed all three sonatas performed by Anton Nel and Bion Tsang, but I especially loved the Sonata in C major, Op.102, No. 1, by Ludwig Van

The Piano Lesson is a masterpiece in itself, earning a Pulitzer Prize in 1990. However, this particular play has elements not typical of modern plays. It has the quintessential plot that encompasses a conflict. On the surface, the conflict is between Boy Willie and his sister, Bernice. However, beneath that conflict, lies the symbolism of the characters. Boy Willie symbolizes the American way or the white man's culture. Bernice is the African-American way, staying true to her roots and not parting with the heritage. Although she finds this painful, she will not part with her heritage. Her heritage is tangible in the presence of the piano itself. Within the presence of the piano, August Wilson

As the man confesses his love to the woman, the music is light-hearted and fairy like. Then, as the woman is standing by the side of the ship alone, a boat comes into view. The music matches the approaching visitors and their mysteriousness. It becomes slow, low, and dark. However, as the people on the boat take the girl the music speeds up and crescendos and then finally tapers off as they leave in the boat.

Piano trills are just a small part of the great work developed by Chadsey, who cleverly infuses a sort of spirituality in the harmonic sequences in order to exalt and stun. Vocals take over the second section, uttering Bly’s words - ‘I would rather go in dead and successful than alive and behind time’. This melody is intermittently repeated by the organist behind Fleenor’s passionate solo. For the triumphant finale, the first section is retrieved and intensified by fluttering horn stamps and decisive percussion maneuvers.

First we hear beautiful traditional classical music, then the fragment is recorded and sent back to the hall and re-recorded, which generates an amplifying sound effect. This makes the orchestra sound like organs playing for a mass in a church. When the recordings are replayed and repeated, the music become percussive echoes, and looping echoes soon outstand the meaningful score, leaving resonant frequencies physically fill the space. When one fragment ends in frequencies, another fragment launches with clear notes. In this piece, the fading of meaning and reappearance of it reminds of me ocean waves. A wave rises high as a wall so that we can see water in an identifiable form, just like we can understand sound through scores; as the wave hits the shore, breaks and disappears, ripples and bubbles become evidences of the wave’s existence, just like we can tell that music once was there through the frequencies. When the music lost its meaning, the audience subjectivity also vanishes. Personal preference over music genre no longer exists, all we share is the same space and same frequencies translated through air and the material that reflected the

The final movement was influenced by when he used to play piano with his deceased

For my piano critique, I went to see Sean Cavanaugh with accompaniment of Dominic Muzzi, play Ludwig van Beethoven’s Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Op. 15. This recital was performed on campus, in Recital Hall November 6, 2017 at 8:30pm. Both Cavanaugh and Muzzi performed their portion of the piece on the piano.

Typically I study in silence, but I had to make a lot of not cards, so I decided to play some classical music. I played the Classical Music for Studying Pandora station. I do not know much about classical music, because it is typically relaxing to listen to. On this station there was a wide variety of pieces. Some were scores from current films; others include pieces from Beethoven Bach. My favorite piece was a score from a Harry Potter film. The song was instrumental, including instruments, such as piano, guitar, violin, cello, trumpets, and many others. This piece was slow tempo (Adagio), but was extremely dynamic in other aspects. The piece started off slow, most likely in the minor key because it was filled with sadness and fear. But began to build, ultimately ending in a slightly more upbeat fashion. The mood started as a sad feeling, and transition into a less sad feeling (I would not classify it as happy). Throughout the piece, there did not seem to be a consistent meter. Initially it started as duple meter, and then it transitioned into a triple meter, ultimately ending in a quadruple meter (or maybe a larger meter). The piece has multiple accent points, which created a more dramatic effect. I personally do not listen to a lot of classical music, but I believe classical music used to express a wide variety of emotions within a three to six minute piece. An individual can start off feeling happy and content, then moments later

The alluring pieces in which my ears have perceived greatly have enthralled my heart leaving me awed. The Piano Night on September 29, 2016 at A.Y. Jackson had pianists performing marvelous variety of pieces. The performance has captivated my soul and allowed me to be engulfed in the beautiful music played by the many talented pianists.

     The poem Piano, by D. H. Lawrence describes his memories of childhood. Hearing a woman singing takes him to the time when his mother played piano on Sunday evenings. In the present, this woman is singing and playing the piano with great passion. However, the passionate music is not affecting him, because he can only think about his childhood rather than the beauty of the music that exists in his actual space.

The beautiful sound of piano music has captured the hearts of people since the early eighteenth century. Since then, many musicians have dedicated their lives to this instrument. Some players even play piano so well that it may seem that this instrument is easy to play. However, to be able to play the piano well isn’t easy; it takes a lot of skill. To become a good piano player, one must love music very much, have good finger techniques, and body flexibility.