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Exploration Document Draft
Ashley Allen
HUM200
Cultural Artifacts
My first work is a composition called The Adoration of the Earth by Igor Stravinsky. This piece
was groundbreaking that it started a riot when it premiered. The heavy use of dissonance and
syncopation paved the way for future composes to push musical boundaries. The composition of
Stravinsky's first maturity from the Rite of Spring in 1913 to the Symphonies of Wind
Instruments in 1920 make use of modal idiom based on Russian sources and are characterized by
a highly sophisticated feeling for irregular metres and syncopation and by brillant orchestral
mastery. In 1926, Stravinsky experienced a religious conversion that had a notable effect on his
stage and vocal music. A religious strain can be detected in such major works as the operatic
oratorio Oedipus Rex 1927. Stravinsky's serial works are generally much briefer than his tonal
works but have a denser musical content.
Common Theme
My second work is a composition called Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart by Mozart. Mozart's music,
stands as an archetype of the classical music. At the time he began composing, European music
was dominated by the style galant, a reaction against the highly evolved intricacy of the baroque.
Progressively, and in large part the hands of Mozart himself, the contrapuntal complexities of the
late baroque emerged once more, moderated and disciplined by new forms, and adapted to a new
aesthetic. He was a versatile composer, and wrote in every major genre, including symphony,
opera, the solo concerto, chamber music including string quartet and sting quintet, and the piano
sonata. Mozart advanced their technical sophistication and emotion reach.
Personal Experience
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The theme The Adoration of the Earth connect to both my physical and spiritual life are thrown
for a whirlwind. When my physical health is a priority, my entire being functions the way it was
created to function.
Profession
A comparison between the Adoration of the Earth and the Nativity reveals the direction in which
van der Goes's later works were to evolve. The Nativity (also called Adoration of the Shepherds),
a later work painted on a curiously elongated panel, is disturbing even in its formats. This
