The Trumpet Shall Sound

Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565, is a two-part musical composition for organ, written by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750), a German composer, and musician of Baroque period, is known for its magnificent sound, classic, state-of-the-art rhythm having methodological command, with artistic splendor and intellectual gravity. Bach's abilities as an organist were respected throughout Europe during his lifetime but at that time he was not recognized as a great composer until a revival of interest and performances of his music in the first half of the 19thcentury. Nowadays he’s regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time. (Blanning, 2008)

The Baroque Era and the Classical Era are two critical time periods in observing music. Some of the most famous composers have written pieces that are popular in the world today. The two periods share many similar characteristics, however new genres and forms developed throughout each period because of new ideas and knowledge spreading. My personal favorite is the Baroque period because of the abundance of new musical knowledge that was introduced, particularly in Vivaldi’s famous piece La Primavera, Concerto for Violin and String Orchestra, Op. 8, No. 1, I.

For my first paper, I chose to write about Beethoven’s Symphony no. 6 conducted in Rome by Claudio Abbado in F Major. I chose this symphony based on the description of the symphony which is a program symphony that transfers the listener to an outdoor setting. I had not listened to Classical music since taking music class back in the sixth grade, but I am almost certain we covered Beethoven’s symphonies. Upon hearing the first fifteen seconds of the piece, I was transported back into both my middle school class and a setting where I felt like I was actually immersed in most of the feelings described in Beethoven’s words of his symphony. The symphony is a Sonata form which we learned is work written as absolute music written for a specific combination

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was one of the archetypal classical composers, along with Franz Haydn. He composed over 600 works, including choral, symphonic,

In the article, A Trumpet Note for Heroes published by Dee Brown, found in Readings in United States History vol. II, 7TH edition. There are many mythical beliefs added and/or extended throughout history. It keeps thoughts alive and curiosity high when discussing the historical events that occurred throughout the late 19th century, along with the times before and after. Although, only a handful may know what true events took place, the legends and myths brought upon throughout it are what give history its remarkable significance it contains to this day. Mythical events and/or characters mentioned will always fall in between beneficial and pernicious regarding to the opinion of an individual. However, there is always a line that divides virtual

One of the greatest composers of music, even though it was only slightly notated at the time, was Guillaume de Machaut (d. 1377), “one of the undisputed pinnacle geniuses of Western music…” His most famous piece was the four-voice Mass of Notre Dame, which maintained his reputation through the changes in fashion (Roberge). After almost a millennium’s worth of music was composed and contributed, the style of music began to change with the next era.

Music is constantly changing. The Baroque period (1600-1750) and the Classical period (1750-1820) have both differences and similarities in elements such as form, texture, and dynamics. I will be comparing the first movement of Spring from the Four Seasons composed by Antonio Vivaldi and the first movement of Symphony No. 5 in C minor by Ludwig van Beethoven. I will construct a stylistic comparison of the two compositions and their musical stylings with regard to the periods of music of which they belong.

Handel's libretti were drawn literally from the Bible, though the verses he used were not necessarily consecutive ones. His musical style in the oratorios is a reversion to the high Baroque idiom, and in oratorio he abandonned the fashionable new stile galant touches he used in in his last operas in hopes of saving them from financial failure. His choral style resonates with fugal writing, but this too is affected by older traditions. His fugues are not the monthematic ones that German organ composers wrote to fill the time before the worship service. Instead the subjects could change as the work unfolded or the imitative texture could be abandonned altogether. The music was controlled by the dramatic needs, not requirements of musical form, and, in this respect Handel's choral fugues show a direct and strong linkage to both Grand Concerto and madrigal! Another madrigal element is Handel's use of music to set mood or depict events. In madrigal, tone painting was a rather local and sometimes puerile device; in Handel, musical depiction occurs on a grand and alomost profound scale. Handel's oratorios also approach recitative differently than opera

Compare and contrast two works from the same genre which were written at least a generation or half a century apart. Consider and explain similarities and differences with regard to musical style and historical context.

Orfeo ed Euridice by Gluck, was written in 1762 and The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart was written in 1786. It is interesting to analyse the changes and developments from opera seria to these two examples.

The tempo throughout the song varies from adagio to allegro, but favors the allegro speed in most of the piece. As most of us have agreed, this specific movement is very repetitive in texture and tone. We believe repetition is a main them in the song to help the listener get a feel for the piece and help them memorize it better. As the melody progresses, the tone and volume of the piece make a drastic change. It slows down as to show the time of year is slowing. No longer are children running and playing outside, it portrays winter being right around the corner. The tone continues to fall lower, giving the listener a feel of sorrow, as if death is in the air. The visualization of leaves falling is imprinted in the listeners mind. Then suddenly, the tempo rapidly picks up and jumps right back into the main chorus, which is abruptly cut short. The tune firmly begins to build up as it almost lullabies the listener through the composition, while the volume steadily increases. I can picture myself swaying in the wind to the cool fall breeze as the sun sets on the warm colors of the fall leaves. Just as the lullaby seems to pick up in pace, it slowly fades in to the distance. Once again the volume of the piece quickly increases and has the listener on the edge of their seat as joy fills the air. The pitch jumps from low to high between each instrument as they begin to

genre, so they can be easily compared and contrasted. The main similarities in the two pieces

First and foremost, the piece reflects the development of the clarinet that its role in the orchestra became more and

They say what’s old is new again. There is nothing new under the sun. What goes around comes around. History repeats itself. These may be just a few banal sayings, but they might hold true for classical music as well. Maurice Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin is one such example. Written during the neo-classical and neo-baroque movements of the early 1900s, this clever piece ties together French musical traditions, baroque styles, and World War I in just six short pieces. This essay will detail the origins of the suite form and the neo-classical neo-baroque movement, and compare Le Tombeau de Couperin with Bach’s French Suite no. 5 in G Major, BWV 816.

Orchestra concerts are an example of music being presented in an emotional and artistic manner. Often people, mainly think of contemporary music when they hear about orchestra concerts. Music composed in the late 1970s to 1990s. But its music extends to much further than that. Scores have been performed from many composers in grand concerts that originate from many sources. These sources include movies, television shows, and even video games. The level of emotion that these concerts express varying from excitement, sadness, intensity, and many others. As a listener, you feel absorbed in the dramatic conducting of the composer and the unity of the orchestra as a whole. Even the setting of the concert can be cinematic as other displays show the grandeur of an orchestra. Our bodies were meant to take in the sounds of music more so than the images. What we derive happens automatically as we drown in the mixture of emotions orchestra has to offer.