Listening Journal 1
Entry 1
Amadeus, Wolfgang. “Mozart: Symphony No. 41 “Jupitar”. Directed by Sir Simon Rattle May 9,
2014.
Style/ Genre and Musical Period:
The style of music is Classical
I. Melody:
a.I’d say the overall melody of the piece is dramatic in some areas while peaceful in
others. It swells then gently rolls along into the next movement.
b.Majority of the time the string instruments were playing and giving it the bas
structure.
c.In this one section of this song there were at least 2-3 sweet melodies, but with
Mozart, there are multiple seconds to his music. This piece in particular has about
4 different parts.
d.Yes I was able to replay the music in my head. Often times when I hear amazing
pieces like this I like to imagine, I’m roaming around in an open field picking
tulips.
e.Throughout the piece, the melody was closely grouped together with occasional
leaps thrown in there.
II. Harmony:
a.I think the overall piece is very pleasant and happy with a lot of emotions
throughout each measure and section.
b.The chords changed frequently but mostly stayed the same. A lot of staccato and
up lifting 16th notes.
c.This harmony is what I’m used to listening to when it came to all the classical
music I would listen to and try to figure out how to play. I was good at sight
reading, so these challenging musical numbers always intrigued me.
d.If I was to compose my own music, I would choose a slower harmony that would
be easier but still challenging for a beginner pianist could learn. I’m use to
playing slower and more peaceful songs rather than aggressive romantic.
III. Rhythm:
a.I would say that this piece is rhythmically active throughout, there are so many
accents of sweet and subtle and other aggressive but with passion. In the video
they display a lot of emotion with each stroke giving more and more depth to the
piece.
(2488) Mozart: Symphony No. 41 "Jupiter" / Rattle · Berliner Philharmoniker - YouTube & full
length: Simon Rattle conducts Symphonies by Mozart | Digital Concert Hall
VIII.
IV.
VI.
VII.
V.
b.The rhythmic activity was strong throughout the majority of the piece with a
slight variation in some measures.
c.I think some of the rhythmic aspect of the music happens sometimes behind the
scenes as an underlying note, embracing the emotion its conveying.
d.The rhythmic element of this piece makes me feel happy and relaxed.
Texture
a.Instruments that were used the most/ heard the most was the string instruments,
Chelo, and violins.
b.String would be accompanied by air and air would be accompanied by the bass.
c.The different instruments affected the overall emotional feeling of the piece by;
horns for an angelic feel, string for a airy light feel and bass for emphasis.
d.If I was apart of the orchestra, I would say that the string instrument like a violin
would be enjoyable to play.
Texture
a.I don’t think there was one instrument that wasn’t playing, they were all playing
and accompanying each other to play a strong piece.
b.I think there were several melodies going on.
Timbre
a.I would say that this piece is a mixture of gentle, airy, strong and smooth.
Dynamics
a.The contrasts between the loud and soft all really depended on the conductor as
well as the horn instruments.
b.It was somewhere in between.
c.The use of the loud and soft sounds allowed the listener to really connect with the
piece with the strong level of emotion.
Form
a.I noticed the middle and the end.
b.Yes there were sections that repeated within the music but I think that’s the beauty
of it, it’s a reminder of the important notes.
c.I would say this is a standard form.
Entry 2
Sill, William. “Afro-American Symphony” directed by Bostein, Leon. November 3, 2018.
Style/ Genre and Musical Period:
Classical
I. Melody:
a.This piece is smooth and very rhythmic all throughout the 4 sections of the piece.
b.The instrument that play for the most part in the beginning believe was the brass
section and progressively went to the string instruments.
c.There are 4 different melodies.
d.Yes I was able to replay the humor section of the piece. Its happy and cheery and
it brought back old memories.
e.For each section I believe that the melody was placed together nicely.
II. Harmony:
a.Throughout the piece there are four sections, it begins with a longing, to a sorrow,
to humor, and ending with aspiration.
b.In this piece the chords seemed to change frequently to go along with the mood of
the section.
c.I would say I’m not use to listening to pieces like this. This is full of different
emotions and depth, I’m use to listening to Bach where there is usually just one
continued theme.
d.If I was to compose my own music, yes I would chose this style of music because
it allows for the soul to heal in different stages of emotions.
III. Rhythm;
a.Yes this piece is very rhythmically active since it has 4 different sections.
b.Yes it changes throughout the piece from the four sections
c.I would say it has a mixture of both.
d.The rhythmic element of this piece makes me feel relaxed because it has all four
strong emotions in one.
IV. Texture:
a.I would say majority of the piece would be violins and brass for a more dramatic
touch.
b.Yes they were mostly grouped all together but at the beginning of sorrow there
was a part where maybe one to five instruments were playing.
c.It gave it depth and a sway to certain parts for a romantic creek side.
d.I still think I would enjoy playing the violin the most. My mom grew u playing it
so that would be my main motive behind it.
V. Texture:
William Grant Still: "Afro-American" Symphony | The Orchestra Now - YouTube
(2490)
VIII.
VI.
VII.
a.The number of instruments that were being played varied throughout the piece as
each section changed and the emotion changed.
b.There were several melodies that were being played.
Timbre:
a.Airy, romantic, smooth and strong are words I would use to describe the piece.
Dynamics:
a.During the humor portion I noticed a lot of contrast in how they were expressing
the level of happiness in that section.
b.The piece was all over the place as far as loud and soft portions go.
c.Yes the contrast of loud and soft sounds definitely connected the listener to the
piece through the emotion it conveyed.
Form:
a.I noticed the longing romantic side, the sad section, the happy peaceful section
and the las aspiring section.
b.No it was one section after another. It never repeated itself.
c.It was Standard.
