Notebook.ai

@TeamMezzo

May 20, 2019

ahA i'm done!
anyone care to read it? it's long and slightly boring

@TeamMezzo

May 20, 2019

Dvorák: Symphony No.9 in E minor, Op.95 "From the New World" - 3. Scherzo (Molto vivace):

With a feel of a Marvel fight/espionage scene, Dvorak’s 3rd Movement from his 9th Symphony has a constant major harmony. About three minutes in, I almost felt a carousel going around with the light, carnival-esque melody. A 3/4 time signature gave it a more whimsical movement. Then, the time signature changes. A 4/4 tempo ensues, and a chase feel sweeps the piece. A few moments later, the whimsical feel resumes, only to come with another attack. The horns announce the return of those fighting until a sudden exclamation sounds like a stab in the back.

Dvorák’s use of dynamics and time signature give a monumental amount of emotion to the piece. He whisks you around happily and attacks you fiercely. Through dynamics, he helps you feel the suspense. He makes a huge sound for a cannon-like boom, and he makes mezzo-piano, happy sounds for the whimsicality.
_________________________________

Beethoven - Symphony No.7 in A major op.92 - II, Allegretto:

The opening chords of Beethoven’s 7th Symphony’s second movement don’t tell you if the piece is major or minor. He uses some dissonance but keeps it mostly major. Triplets are heavily used once the key is established as a major key, and a ¾ time signature is kept. The use of flutes and a mezzo-forte tone at the start give it a happier feel.

Beethoven uses the second violins throughout the piece to add a new layer of dimension to the piece he couldn’t have otherwise. He gives them an a hopping scale-like melody when they’re not harmonizing with the melody. This technique using Baroque-like bowstrokes gives that final layer of story that the piece needed.
_________________________________

Greig- In the Hall of the Mountain King
Grieg’s In the Hall of the Mountain King is a classic winter song. The beginning’s staccato gives the feel of sneaking around, like near the tree before Christmas Day. A 4/4 time signature is true throughout the piece, and there’s a constant accelerando throughout the piece. As the piece grows faster, it grows louder and adds more instruments.

The piece tells a story. It repeats the same melody, but faster and faster. The beginning sounds of sneaking around, but the faster parts sound more like you’re running away. The use of constant crescendo and accelerando give intensity to the piece as it goes on. In the Hall of the Mountain King is a piece of emotion, and there’s no way to contain the feelings that Grieg put in.
_________________________________

Claude Debussy- Suite Bergamasque Movement 3: Clair de Lune:
Claude Debussy named the third movement of his Suite Bergamesque Clair de Lune. Clair de Lune translates to moonlight or light of the moon. The feelings conveyed in this piece live up to the name. There is a constant fermata, and it doesn’t keep a regular time signature. It stays in a major key the whole time and gives a very relaxing aura.

The Clair de Lune is one of those songs that’s on a children’s lullaby album. It keeps a twinkling melody and has a very basic harmony set. The song ends with a sound that reminds me of a camera panning up towards the night sky, ending with a shooting star disappearing out of frame as the screen goes black. It is a very relaxing piece, and it earns the name it was given.
_________________________________
Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky- Pas de Deux, “The Nutcracker”:

The song Pas de Deux of the Nutcracker is part of a story ballet for a reason. The 4/4 time signature in a minor key gives it a feeling of fear and “What If?”. Tchaikovsky uses small crescendos and diminuendos that give the piece more feeling than it already has. It has a dark tone, giving the feel of a battle or incoming storm.
The end of the piece has a different feel. In the last 30 seconds of the piece, it changes into a major key. Tchaikovsky ends it with a major chord and huge drumroll. It sounds victorious, almost as if the battle has been won.
_________________________________
Johann Sebastian Bach- Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major- Prelude:

Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1 is a piece of repetitive melody. A straight 4/4- eighth-note melody is constant throughout the piece. Bach tells a story in the 2 minutes of the prelude: he shows happiness and sadness through a major key with accidentals. He keeps a similar dynamic set, in the mezzo range, but there are flucuations of the volume in the patterns.

The low notes at the start of each measure bring a layer of emotion in. It adds an accidental, or starts with something in-key, setting the tone for each measure. It explores the whole range of the cello, and it delves into sounds that don’t harmonize but still resonate.

ta-da