PLEASE USE THE LINK ABOVE
Virtual concert report
This paper is a “rehearsal” for your final paper. Because of that, the content of both papers is essentially the same. What differs is that the subject of this first concert review is a recorded performance that I have chosen and for the second review you must choose a lengthier recorded concert on your own due to the pandemic.
For the first paper, everyone will be writing a review on the same performance, which can be found
here (Links to an external site.)
.
This is a performance of one of Antonio Vivaldi’s concertos, and was written in the Baroque period. By the time you write the paper, you should have a good idea of what a concerto is. Basically, it is a three-movement composition based on a friendly competition between an orchestra and an instrumental soloist. Informally known as “Winter” from “The Four Seasons” concertos, the official title of this piece is Concerto No.4 in F minor, Op.8, RV 297.
Your report should read much like an in-depth newspaper review, combining factual information with your own critical evaluation and including the following elements:
• name and composition of performing group, location and date of performance if known (intro paragraph)
• general type of concert: string quartet, vocal recital, symphony, choral concert, etc. (intro paragraph)
• physical descriiption of performing group and performance venue
• general descriiption of compositions and musical style.
• more detailed personal descriiption of the concerto. Include musical information on style, rhythmic and melodic features, solos, etc. This is the most important part of the paper. Make sure this descriiption goes beyond the poetic! If you find a piece that reminds you of soldiers marching, butterflies, etc., that’s OK. But you need to tell me what it is in the music that makes you feel that way. Describe melody, tempo, dynamics, rhythms, texture, etc. Do not use a template approach. (In other words, don’t limit all of your descriiptions to the same one or two musical elements, such as tempo.) Remember that this assignment must consist of your personal descriiptions of what you heard. No research needed.
• Many genres of classical music, such as the concerto, are multi-movement. In other words, they consist of more than one section and each is actually an individual piece. For example, a symphony typically consists of four different movements. Other multi-movement genres include concerto, string quartet, suite, cantata, chamber music, sonata, etc. For such genres, you must provide a separate descriiption for each movement.
• your overall reaction to and judgement of the concert
• audience response, as far as you can tell from the recording
Your concert report should be c. 3 pages in length, double-spaced. Top and side margins should be approximately 1” in size with the exception of the left side margin, which may be 1-1/2 “. Use a reasonable font size. Any final paper with substantial errors in grammar and/or spelling will not receive a grade higher than C+. Make sure your paper is well organized with introductory and concluding paragraphs and a clear, logical order to the main body of the work.
The melody is in harmony.
The music contains duple and triple harmony.
The ending is unmistakable.
The composer really knows how to use instruments.
I liked the disjunct harmony.
This piece was in retardando style.
The piece had many movements, but they were all the same and very boring.
The piece had a lot of high and low notes, and really impressed me.
The ending made the melody and harmony.
The song was made up of notes, which made it interesting.
The harmony in this piece is tonal.
This piece sounds Italian. (Why?)
This piece sounds French. ”
The symphony had both loud and soft spots.
