500words essay about music

MU 110 – Prof. Bregegere Essay #2 (Extra Credit)

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Essay  No.  2:  Beethoven’s  Variations  on  “God  Save  the  King”  (Extra  Credit)  

DUE  DATE:  Last  day  of  class  (final  exam)  

For  this  extra-­‐credit  essay  you  are  asked  to  answer  the  question  below.  Audio  file  for  the  piece  can  be  found  on   Blackboard  (‘Essay  2’  Folder).  With  this  assignment,  should  you  decide  to  do  it,  you  will  be  able  to  gain  up  to  twenty  points   on  your  lower  exam  grade  (i.e.  from  exams  1  &  2,  or  the  final  exam).    

ESSAY  QUESTION:  

Listen  to  Beethoven’s  Variations  on  “God  Save  the  King”—the  piece  is  a  “Theme  and  Variations”  form,  consisting  of   a  Theme,  followed  by  seven  Variations  (see  outline  below).  Do  so  several  times  to  get  familiar  with  the  theme  and  the  seven   variations.  In  your  essay,  describe  the  main  theme  and  the  ways  in  which  Beethoven  changes  the  original  theme  in  each  of   the  seven  variations.  Comment  on  mood/character,  mode  (major/minor),  rhythmic/melodic/harmonic  changes,  dynamics,   tempo,  and  texture.  When  referring  to  a  particular  section  of  music,  indicate  the  particular  variation,  and  if  needed,  the   precise  timings  from  the  recording  posted  on  Blackboard.  Do  not  include  biographical  information  on  the  composer  or   information  about  the  history  of  the  piece:  focus  solely  on  the  music.    

In  order  to  help  you  identify  each  variation,  listed  below  are  the  starting  times,  as  heard  in  the  recording  posted  on   Blackboard:    

• Theme  –  0:00   • Variation  1  –  1:09   • Variation  2  –  2:03   • Variation  3  –  2:51   • Variation  4  –  3:36   • Variation  5  –  4:25     • Variation  6  –  5:47   • Variation  7  –  6:43  

 

This  is  not  a  research  paper  (no  bibliography  page  is  required),  but  an  exercise  in  analyzing  musical  compositions  (or   passages)  in  terms  of  their  aural  features.  You  will  analyze  sections  from  the  works,  understand  how  they  work,  and  briefly   describe  your  experience  of  listening  to  them.  You  don’t  have  to  be  able  to  read  music—you  should  just  be  able  to  listen   closely,  analyze  and  arrive  at  a  conclusion  (interpretation).  Make  sure  that  you  use  musical  terminology  correctly  

 

FORMAT:    

• 500  words  (+/-­‐  10%).  Shorter  papers  will  not  be  accepted.  Can  be  a  little  longer  if  you  feel  inspired…  

• Typed  using  Times  or  Times  New  Roman  12  pitch  font  and  double-­‐spaced  with  1-­‐inch  margins.  

• Spell-­‐checked  and  with  the  pages  stapled.  Make  sure  your  name  is  at  the  top!  

 

GRADING:  

1.  Content/Substance  (50%):     An  “A”  paper  gives  a  thoughtful  description  of  the  music,  accompanied  with  specific   examples/timings.  

2.  Terminology  (20%):     An  “A”  paper  uses  musical  terminology  correctly.   3.  Organization  (15%):   An  “A”  paper  has  an  introduction,  main  body  and  a  conclusion.  It  groups  related  ideas  

into  paragraphs.  Each  paragraph  contains  at  least  three  sentences.     4.  Clarity  of  language  (15%):   In  an  ”A”  paper,  words  are  spelled  correctly  and  capitalized  where  necessary;  each  

sentence  has  a  subject  and  a  verb  that  agree  with  one  another;  there  are  no  run-­‐on   sentences;  and  necessary  punctuation  marks  are  in  the  right  places.