The Yellow River Piano Concerto Xian Xinghai * Xian was born in 1905 in Pungu in China. * He joined the communist party in 1938 where he composed the Yellow River Cantata. * The Yellow River was considered by the Chinese as the cradle of China’s civilisation and its sorrow. * The cantata was an eight movement work for chorus orchestra and soloists with narration in between. Yellow River Cantata * The cantata aimed to express the troubles of the people who lived on the banks of the Yellow River who had to battle against flooding and the Japanese invaders. * The piece was composed in four days. * It made use of traditional folk melodies as well as using western techniques (Xian studied abroad). * Each …show more content…
| D | 55-59 | 52 crotchet beats per minute, piu moso, modulates to G minor (relative minor) | E | 60-66 | 69 crotchet beats per minute, B flat major, rit. | Coda | 67-73 | 88 crotchet beats per minute, rit-pause on final note, B flat major. | Characteristics of Movement 2 * The opening of ‘March of the Volunteer’ is used twice by horn 1/trumpet 1 in bars 61-64. ‘March of the Volunteers’ is the Chinese national anthem and was a revolutionary anti-Japanese song. * Mostly Composed in B flat major. * Apart from the restatement of the opening 16 bar melody, only tiny snatches of material are subsequently repeated. * The phrase structure is unusual with changes between 3/4 and 4/4 apart from bars 1-9 and 17-25. There is little use of conventional question and answer phrases. * The orchestra mostly accompanies the piano which plays a figuration based on the underlying harmony. * There are textures for orchestra alone at bars 1-15 and 67-73 and for the piano solo at bars 17-23 and 27-30. * The movement is slow and is lyrical in nature with ballad like melodies. * There is the use of a B flat pentatonic scale (B flat, C, D, F and G). * The movement was heavily influenced by the romantic period (Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff) * The movement matches the second movement of the Yellow River Cantata and depicts the image of travelling down the river. Movement 3 Analysis Section | Bar
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 case, the melody of the West End Blues is repeating but the instruments that cover as the lyrics, do not. The strophic form is also a great musical design for telling a
2. Albert M. Craig, William A. Graham, Donald Kagan, Steven Ozment, Frank M. Turner. “China‘s First Empire”. The Heritage of World Civilizations. 1: 1152 (2007, 2005, 2002) Pearson Education, Inc. New
The introduction opens with a descending minor scale by pizzicato strings, followed by three sforzandos in the orchestra. Section A begins with strings, woodwind and brass playing a waltz rhythm, which modulates to major. The strings play melody 1, which is then repeated with piccolo countermelody. Brass and string crescendo and cymbal crash before strings play melody 2 which is dotted, and followed by suspensions and an imperfect cadence. The suspensions are repeated with a perfect
The second piece that is discussed is Toccata in F major, by Johann Sebastian Bach. It is a solo piece that was performed in a unison and dissonant harmony. Surreal coordination and impressive pedal solo was extremely impressive and gave this particular piece a broad spectrum of dynamic change and tempo. Ascending and descending theme constantly repeated throughout this performance, alternating in crescendo and decrescendo, which brought life and movement to a classical piece.
The phrases are generally 8 beats long extending over 3 – the last two beats of the first bar and the first two beats of the third bar( in the excerpt to the right).
A slow crescendo is lead by the strings and low brass play a phrase with very low pitches in small intervals, creating a dark tone. The choir sustains a minor chord overtop this. This section of the music is getting heavier due to large amounts of lower voice instrumentation. The snare drum then plays a rhythm comprised of sixteenth notes, which resembles a typical march line. The melody is later carried by the double basses and the cellos. After a few bars, the boy soprano sings the main melody of the piece while the violins play a very frantic run using scales ascending and descending at random scale degrees. The short durations in contrast with the sustained notes create a very interesting effect on the mood. The melody shifts over to the violins who play a connected series of held notes in the higher register of the instrument. The chord is built up slowly as more instruments gradually make subtle entrances. When brass join, the section continues to build up, and is being pushed forwards. The trumpets then play repeated eighth notes underneath. The dynamic is building up and is very close to reaching a climax until a sforzando, transitioning to the final melody from the boy
Survival, both its temporary means and its ultimate permanence, is certainly a theme throughout this story, and the river is the most obvious metaphorical representation. Among the undulant hillsides, the river remains steady
The melody in the first movement opens with the violins and they are then accompany by the violas and the cello. As you keep listening you notice that French horn, clarinets, flutes, and oboes contribute to the harmony. The first movement is also in the key signature of G minor. As you move through the first movement you enter into the second section which is in a different key. The key signature of the second movement is in B flat major. The instruments that have the melody this time are the violins along with the clarinets and bassoons.
The oboe then plays main melody. There is a rallentando and diminuendo with a flute melody and pizzicato strings.
There were a total of four music pieces performed. They were “Overture from the Singspiel”, “Concerto in e minor”, “Concerto on b minor,opus 104”, and “Symphony#2 in b minor, opus 5”. I think pieces were performed belong to classical style.
It was again as if the river has established an opportunity to lead a new life, away from the war in Italy to a more comfortable life. Henry’s and Catherine’s escape through the river not only leads them to a better life but the unborn child, too.
The most distinct sound throughout the play is a musical piece called the "Blue Piano".
This melodic idea is equally promising; it has the potential to serve as the primary theme which had been cut short. Unfortunately, it only holds for two measures before it is swept away by a descending chromatic scale in sixths.
Anita's "Tonight" motif overlaps with Tony's "tonight" on the anacrusis. Again there is a change to A major as Tony sings