Writing Asssignment

MUL1010 Music Appreciation

Written Assignment #4 Page 1 of 2

Written Assignment #4: Live Concert Review Report

Below is a sample of a well-written concert report. It is detailed and discusses all the required elements. The student uploaded the ticket sub, program, and orchestra seating drawing (not shown) to this report; which, are all required. The student also used grammar/spell check to proofread the report before submitting.

Writing Assignment #4

For this writing assignment, the concert I chose to attend was the Frost Symphonic Winds

“American Panorama”, performed by the Frost School of Music at University of Miami. During the

performance, I was primarily a perceptive listener. By definition, a perceptive listener is one who uses

the appropriate musical terminology to describe music and tries to develop an awareness of different

musical styles. Usually, in my day to day encounters with music, I am a casual and referential listener.

But since I had to analyze and write a report about the music, I had to be perceptive about it.

The style of each pieces performed were a contemporary symphony. The instrumentation of the

orchestra was rather large and differing in style. The orchestra included performances on the flute, oboe,

bassoon, clarinet, bass clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, horn, trombone, bass trombone, euphonium, tuba,

percussion, double bass, and last but not least, the harp.

During the concert, I was able to analyze three different pieces played. The first piece was

“Commando March” (1943) by Samuel Barber. This was the opening piece of the concert. While there

was some unity with few reiterations of musical ideas, this piece primarily demonstrated much variation

as it incorporated new, exciting, and unexpected ideas. The structure of the piece was presented in

ternary, or ABA form. The original purpose of the “Commando March” was for a dedication to a new

soldier and was first performed by the Air Army Corps Band. I think this piece was meant to be seen as

powerful, inspiring, and celebratory. The basic tempo of the song could be described as allegro, as it is

played in a lively and quick manner. And the tempo of the pace as the song went on could be described

as accelerando because the tempo was gradually increasing. The volume of the piece overall was

crescendo as it was continuously becoming louder. As for the rhythm, the pulse of the piece was rather

strong and obvious. The main melody of the march was legato because the notes were played with no

silences in-between. Throughout the piece, there were moments of dissonance that created tension, and

was then relieved by consonant harmonies. Overall, the “Commando March” is an iconic piece of music

from the Contemporary Period, and was flawlessly performed.

The second piece of music I analyzed was another piece from the Contemporary Period called

“Variations on a Shaker Melody” (1944) by Aaron Copland. The piece mainly demonstrated unity with

the feeling of familiarity, although there was some slight variation toward the middle/end. The structure

of the music was a two part symphony structure or, binary form. The purpose of the piece in my opinion

was to uplift, relax, and ultimately enhance the mood of the listener. It made me feel joyous and at ease.

Altogether, the tempo of the piece was andante with the volume al niente, until the climax when it

becomes crescendo, and then decrescendo diminuendo. The rhythm contained a consistent pulse

throughout with an obvious beat. The dominant tune of the composition illustrated a conjunct melody

followed by a slight disjunctive melody, while conveying consonant harmonies.

MUL1010 Music Appreciation

Written Assignment #4 Page 2 of 2

The third and final piece of music is yet an additional piece from the Contemporary Period titled

“Chester” (1956) by William Schuman. The purpose of this symphonic piece was to inspire and enhance

the mood of the listener. The piece demonstrates much unity throughout with snippets of variation. The

structure of the piece was ternary (ABA) form. The pace of the notes started off as moderato and then

transitioned to allegretto. The volume of the piece transitioned from al niente to crescendo. The rhythm

of the piece was strong and obvious. While the melody started off delicate and then transitioned to a

more assertive tune. At the beginning there were consonant harmonies followed by some dissonance.

The form was composed in an arch form, followed by 5 variations.

As a whole, I thoroughly enjoyed the concert. Each piece that was played was unique and special

in its own way. The symphony was professional, talented, and well-rehearsed.