Listening Project

Bradley Paynter
April 14, 2014

Composition #1

Composition: Music for the Royal Fireworks (1749)

by: G.F. Handel (1685-1759)
Period: Baroque (1600-1750)

Why I liked this piece:

I really enjoyed this piece because of the meaning behind it. It was originally
composed to accompany a firework display celebrating the end of the War of the Austrian
Succession. I have always been a fan of huge celebrations and this also reminds me of the
National Anthem in some ways. It has a lot of nationalism in it, and that it what I really like
about it.
Tone Quality/Loudness:
The music really makes me feel happy. It gives me the idea that Im at a huge
celebration and has a lot of nationalism in it. The texture is thick, due to the composition
having so many instruments.
Rhythm:
The rhythm is very active. It is so active because it is for a celebration and people want
it to be matching to the celebration. The beat is fast also because they are celebrating.
Harmony:
The harmony is being played by a slow percussion, which has a main snare drum.
The texture is thick, due to the composition having so many instruments.

Melody:
The melody is very wide. It has many highs and lows. It sounds happy because of the
occasion it is written for.

Composition #2

Composition: The Entertainer (1902)

by: Scott Joplin (1867-1917)
Period: Modern (1900-present)

Why I liked this piece:

I liked this piece because it is a very catchy tune and makes me feel happy.
Tone Quality/Loudness:
The Tone quality is very happy, and very outgoing. It is something that would be used
in a party setting to get the party going.
Rhythm:
The rhythm is very active. It goes along very well with the tone quality, because when
you think of happy things you tend to think of active and fast.
Harmony:

The harmonic texture is thin, but it is typical in a piano piece.

Melody:
The melody is narrow, the piece centers on a few main notes, and maintains it the
entire song.

Composition #3

Composition: String Quartet in C Major, op. 76, no. 3 (1796)

by: Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Period: Classical (1750-1820)

Why I liked this piece:

This piece is very soothing. It actually relaxed me while I was doing this project. I
stopped everything I was doing and lightened to the soothing strings by Haydn.

Tone Quality/Loudness:
The tone quality is happy. The strings are very consonant and make listening very
easy. I imagine a bird flying in the sky for the first part of the song, and could be considered
program music.
Rhythm:
The rhythm is moderately slow, but not really slow. It goes really well with the tempo
of the violins that backs up the melody.
Harmony:
The harmony is played by violins. The song has two violins and the slower softer
violin is the one playing the harmony.
Melody:
The melody is not narrow, yet it also is not wide. This is because it is not all violin, it
also has cello, which has a lower sound than the violin.

Composition #4

Composition: Trio for Piano, Violin, and Cello in D Minor, op. 11

(1) (excerpt) (1850)
by: Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel (1805-1847)
Period: Romantic (1820-1900)

Why I liked this piece:

I like this piece because it starts off very fast and immediately catches my attention.
The use of the violin and cello with the piano really sounds pleasant to my ears.
Tone Quality/Loudness:
The tone quality is happy, and typical of songs with the violin.
Rhythm:
The rhythm is dotted. It has a unequally subdivided beat that has a long dotted note
and then a short note.
Harmony:
The harmonic is being played by in most parts, the violin. It leads on the rhythm as to
which the piano or cello comes in and ultimately takes over while the violin maintains the
harmony.
Melody:
The melody is very wide. This is due to the piece having many instruments that all
have pretty different sounds.

Composition #5

Composition: Now is the Month of Maying (1595)

by: Thomas Morley (1558-1603)
Period: Renaissance (1450-1600)

Why I liked this piece:

I liked this piece because it is very different from what I have ever listened to.
Although it isnt really happy and active like i usually like songs to be, this actually is nice.
After listening to it for a couple of times, I believe you can truly appreciate the quality of the
male and female voices bonding together.
Tone Quality/Loudness:
The tone quality is happy. The voices blend very well together in a tone that is very
pleasant to the ears.
Rhythm:
The rhythm is light, yet is also very vigorous and demanding.
Harmony:
The harmony is done by the male voices in the background which simply back up the
other singers.
Melody:

The melody is pretty wide. I give credit to the power of the human voice. It is a very
powerful thing. The melody is very repetitive in that is repeats the same chorus over and
over.