s2: Listening Activity #2+3

TITLE: Candide Overture

COMPOSER: Leonard Bernstein

PERFORMER: London Symphony Orchestra

very exciting and happy, it felt very comic and jovial. it made me think of a circus troupe or a group of performers. it seemed very playful between its more active parts as well as the lighter ones. the lighter sections still had that happy feel but was less ostentatious.

i liked the music because of how it made me feel, it is the kind of music that sort of inspires people to do something fun.

the music was very fast paced throughout which is what mostly why it felt light. even if the music was heavy to play, the tempo of the piece made sure that it was more of a dynamic shift rather than a loss of the lightness of the music.

it pretty much was a full symphony orchestra, with things like woodwind, orchestra and band but it is important in terms of making these three distinctions in the song. the woodwind was used for the smallest and lightest part of the songs, the string orchestra kept tempo and the band created the happy and jovial mood to the piece. whenever any one section had a "solo" part it was clear as to what their purpose was. and when they all came together it was a magnificent collection of different elements. to put this into what i think in choir terms, it would like instead of the entire choir doing the same dynamics throughout the song, but rather each choral section has their own tempo and dynamics from the rest of the choir.

TITLE: New York, New York from On the Town

COMPOSER: Leonard Bernstein

PERFORMERS: Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly & Jules Munshin

also a very happy jovial piece and what stuck out to me this time was the sharpness of the words along with the speed of the song. the singing and the musical interlude have that same light feel of the previous song, but unlike the otherone this one is created by short notes along with the fast music.

i didn't mind this one but i have a sort of preference to the other Bernstein pieces. it is hard to think as to why this is, only that i feel that this one is not as nice for me as the other two.

what was dynamically pleasing were the staccatos that would build up in tempo before exploding into a long high note. it was also interesting of the changes in key's each time the singers sung, it gave it a mood as if the singers were building in excitement as the song progressed.

S2 listening activity 1

TITLE: Chichester Psalms, Mvnt. 1

COMPOSER: Leonard Berstein

PERFORMER: Bow Valley College Chorus & Orchestra

Their music felt empowering, not just because of the music itself but how, with the choir, they did more decrescendos, by that i mean they start off a phrase very loud and strong and then keep a steady volume throughout. the crescendos were more of a buildup that was being used throughout the song.

I personally enjoyed the music. I liked the inclusion of an orchestra, but what made it good was that the voices of the choir were strong and loud enough for them to be heard over the other instruments. In a way i am not sure if our choir could achieve a balance of volume like they did. might be something worth looking at later.

I already mentioned the dynamics of the crescendo and decrescendo. In terms of vocality and consonants, the focus seemed more on the notes rather than words. I know that the piece was not in English but i still had trouble hearing consonants in the piece.

i could hear a strong soprano and bass section, but i could not distinguish a tenor and alto section, if there was one. in terms of other instruments there were snare drums and xylophones which gave it a sort of powerful yet graceful feel to the piece as well. overall it sounded like a very positive song and was not really happy but strong.