You will be required to attend a concert of your choice and write an essay on your experience. In addition to relating your reactions to the performance(s), audience, and your impressions of the concert venue, include some relevant details about musical content. NOTE: You need not attend performances by “professional” or “first-tier” big-name artists; many kinds of civic orchestras, opera productions, recitals, or the musical activity at a local house of worship can offer opportunities for insightful musical criticism. The concert may not, however, fall too outside the scope of the content of this class; concerts of popular music, world music, jazz, or musicals are not acceptable for this assignment. If you aren’t sure if a concert meets the requirements of the report, just ask us in advance! In addition, you must write your paper on a concert you attended during this quarter.
Your paper should represent original thinking; you will draw on information presented in the online lesson material and in the assigned reading assignments, but you must relyprimarily on your own ideas rather than on any external, secondary source material. There will be no need to include a bibliography, discography, or footnotes, except if you are using quotations or ideas from a specific source. Again, the basic content should mainly reflect your own reactions and ideas.
Your essay should demonstrate good writing skills—please proofread for spelling, grammar, organization, and so on. The essay should be approximately three to four pages in length.
Your essay should be double-spaced, and in a normal, non-italic, black, 10– to 12-point font.
In your musical criticism, draw on your knowledge of musical stylistic elements, such as we have covered in class and that you have studied in the Kamien textbook and the listening assignments. For example, include descriptive details of, say, a singing style or vocal qualities and characteristics (for example, melismatic decorations, use of call and response, and so on), instrumentation, dynamic characteristics (for example, loud or soft volume levels). Mention any featured soloists (vocalist(s) or instrumentalist(s), and so on). Discuss the tempo of a given piece (slow, moderate, up-tempo, and so on) and mood or affect. You might also describe a general quality or character of sound (for example either a thick or sparse texture). You might inform the reader if the performance spotlighted any display of vocal or instrumental virtuosity. Use any of the musical terms we have thus far discussed or that you have discovered in the glossary of your textbook.
In reviewing the concert experience, per se, you may want to take note of the audience’s makeup and behavior. A report can include a word about audience reaction to both musical and visual events on the stage—responses to particular pieces, lighting effects, featured soloists or dancers, etc. You might also comment on the size, layout, and room acoustics of the venue; were you able to see and hear the performers clearly? Some contemporary musical performances depend on amplification and sound reinforcement provided by a sound or PA system; was the concert hampered or helped by the sound mix? Did you have any problems hearing any part of the program?
You don’t have to attend the concert obviously to write about it, just know your music terminology and listen to these songs on youtube. I am paying a large amount of cash since I need this done by 11:55PM 11/19 (Pacific time), but it should be fairly manageable because this is an intro music course at a university. Just write as much as you can about the below 6 songs, you can leave out the concert date as I can just fill that part in, and just make up the audience’s reaction to what you deem fit. I also have the song translations which I can text you, or you can look up online.
George Bizet (1838-1875)
Serenade
Chanson d’Avril
Le Martin
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Du bist die Ruh
Gretchen am Spinnrade
Ganymed
