music concert report

· In what way was the music “American”?

· Could you hear or feel important differences between the live performance and the recording?

· Use the vocabulary introduced in this course. Describe the texture, harmony, meter, rhythm, melody, and form. How does this music compare to other repertoire studied in class?

· What were the music’s most expressive, exciting, or difficult quality?

Now, keep in mind that right after you attend a program is the best time to write about it!

HOW YOU WILL BE ASSESSED ON THIS ASSIGNMENT: Carefully written, thoughtful, and insightful assignments will receive top marks. Work that only skims the surface of the material, is late, is poorly written, or is otherwise sloppy will not receive the highest mark.

How to Write about Music: Vocabulary, Usages, and Conventions

In writing about music, it's important to use certain terms correctly, with regard to what they mean and the form in which they are written.

Some Basic Performance Vocabulary Here are a few terms you'll need to use in discussing musical performances; some of these are misused surprisingly often.

Composition, piece , and  work . These may all be used, more or less interchangeably, for a single, complete piece of music ("The first composition on the program was very short"; "The second piece was the one I enjoyed most"; "This is a contemporary work").

Song . This is a relatively brief work for a solo singer, which is not part of a larger work like an opera or an oratorio (though it may be part of a song cycle, and the term is also correct for a solo passage in a musical comedy or operetta). Note that song should not be used for an instrumental work, or for an aria.

Aria . This is a passage for a solo singer in an opera or oratorio. If it is being performed out of context, as part of a concert or recital, it is still referred to as an aria. Some arias are independent compositions; these are called concert arias.

Vocal, vocalist . Vocal means of the voice; it is redundant and therefore incorrect to speak of a "vocal song." Vocalist is simply a synonym for singer.

Choral, chorus . Choral means of a choir (thus a choral work is a work for choir), and a chorus is a relatively large choir, or group of singers.

Ensemble.  This can refer to any group of performers, but it is most commonly used for smaller groups. (A large group would be referred to as, say, an orchestra, chorus, or band.)

Chamber music . This refers to any music written for a chamber ensemble—a string quartet, a piano trio, a chamber orchestra, and so on. (Music for a soloist, or for a soloist with accompanist, may or may not be chamber music.)

Symphony . This is a composition for orchestra, usually in four movements. The term should not be used as a short form of "symphony orchestra" (the term to use in that case is orchestra.)

Program . A word with several meanings: (1) An entire concert or recital ("I enjoyed tonight's program"). (2) The printed booklet given to audience members at a concert, opera, recital, etc. ("I found that reading the program notes helped me understand the music"). (3) A literary text, a place, an event, or the like, on which a musical composition is based ("Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique has an autobiographical program").

Performance.  This term typically refers to the actual act of making music ("a virtuoso performance"), though it is sometimes used to mean a musical presentation ("The performance consisted of six works").

Concert, recital . A recital is a program by a soloist or by two performers (soloist and accompanist, or a duo). A concert is a program by a chamber ensemble, orchestra, band, or chorus; there are also rock, jazz, and pop concerts.

Production . This is a performance of a work that involves staging—costumes, scenery, etc.—as well as music. The term may also refer to the costumes, scenery, and so on, as distinct from the music ("The opera was well sung, but the production seemed overelaborate").

Show . This term is properly used only for popular music and musical comedy.

Act, scene . In opera, operetta, and musical theater, an act is a major section of the work ("The third act of Rigoletto includes the famous Quartet"); usually, an intermission takes place between acts. Acts may be subdivided into scenes. Note: In popular forms like revues and variety shows, act refers to the presentation of one of the performers or performing groups ("A tough act to follow"); but the term is not correctly used in this way for recitals, orchestra or chamber concerts, etc. (Don't say, "For his second act he sang Die Forelle." Rather, say, "The second piece he sang was Die Forelle"; or, "The second work was Die Forelle"; or the like.)

Movement . This is a specifically designated part of a long work like a symphony, a concerto, a string quartet, etc. (The term is not used for sections within an opera.)

Section, passage . These terms are useful for referring to parts of a composition shorter than a movement or (in musical drama) shorter than an act, scene, aria, duet, ensemble, etc