...Literary Masterpieces ENG/106 March 31, 2014 Expectations Regarding Literary Masterpieces Coming in to a new class can be a daunting experience, especially when one does not know what to expect. It can also be an exciting experience, especially when one has a special fondness for the subject being taught. As a psychology major, ENG/106 is not a required class. As a bibliophile, there was no question that I would use the need to fulfill an elective requirement as a reasonable excuse to take this class. There are many preconceived notions around the study of literary masterpieces, and some people have a hard time pushing past the bitter memories of stuffy high school English teachers and 30 page book reports on Crime and Punishment to be worked on over summer vacation. I am lucky enough to have had a wonderful experience with the classics, and my expectations for ENG/106 come from a place of fondness, respect, and genuine awe. With that being said, there is more to understanding literary masterpieces than simply enjoying a good read; one should also recognize the preconceived notions that often come with the subject, as well as have an understanding of why literary masterpieces are important and how they influence modern society. My Experiences and Expectations My experience with literary masterpieces began at age seven when I first read Charlotte’s Web. While that may not be considered a literary masterpiece, it did...
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...mobile,” translated into “Woman is fickle”, puts onto display many popular key musical elements of the 19th century that are still very much alive in today’s modern music. Giuseppe Verdi utilizes several trends in music of the day to create the masterpiece that we still recognize today, despite the immense time gap. The piece is written about a woman whose mind constantly changes direction and leaves her admirers constantly pursuing in vain. Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) was an Italian world class composer of operas during the height of the Romantic period. This piece is widely considered his most notable work, but considering all of his great operas still performed to this day, to place anything as his “most notable” would be an understatement. His career took off with Nabucco, which he wrote after the death of his children and wife, and was able to write masterpiece after masterpiece, even into his twilight years. Verdi died with twenty-eight operas on his resume, many of which are still performed today. Most of Verdi’s inspiration came from the works of Shakespeare, with the opera Macbeth as an example. Verdi also incorporated political messages into his operas, as Italy was leaving Austrian Hapsburg rule at the time. A chorus of Nabucco is still considered an Italian patriotic theme. The opera that this piece is from, Rigoletto, premiered in Venice in 1951, and is easily one of his greatest masterpieces. The opera is about a jester who has a curse placed on him by a man whose daughter...
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...The Influence of Pipa on Chinese Classical Music In Chinese classical music, Pipa is one of the most popular traditional musical instruments in China and known as the “king of plucked string instrument.” It is a plucked four-stringed musical instrument having a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets ranging from 12 to 26. It has been played for about two thousands years in China and many Chinese ancient literary works and poems are related to pipa praising its refinement through its bright timbre and rapid rolling tremolo. Unlike nowadays situation that everyone could learn how to play pipa or enjoy the pipa performance in the concert, people from upper class in the ancient time rarely played classical instrumnets such as pipa and guqin (a plucked seven-string instrument of the zither family) in public or for commercial purposes. And they always refused to be regard as musician because performing artists in ancient China are usually considered as the lowest social class. “In traditional China, most well–educated people and monks could play classical music as a means of self-cultivation, meditation, soul purification and spiritual elevation, union with nature, identification with the values of past sages, and communication with divine beings or with friends and lovers” (Liu) However, the development of pipa in the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) let it became popular in both court music and ordinary people. Indeed, pipa music has a profound impact on the Chinese classical...
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...The first musical piece for the evening was Classical Symphony, Op. 25. This work featured an instrument not often heard in orchestra performances, the alto saxophone. The beginning started off allegro and with a solo performed by the string family. Throughout the movement, there are terraced dynamics in which shift back and forth from piano to forte. It was executed in a polyphonic texture with syncopation continuously played throughout. L’Arlesienne Suite, No.2 followed the first symphony and created a crescendo to fortissimo. This number began with a concerto grosso as the flute and keyboard instruments were joined in by the rest of the orchestra. Georges Bizet also created a ritornello form in his piece with modifications as the movement progressed. The end was completed in a vivace tempo. Following intermission was Johann Strauss Jr.’s work of Die Fledermaus. Here pizzicato is performed by the string instruments as the tempo slowly begins to increase. In this overture there is a feeling of competition. The contrast between the parts played by violins and other instruments seems never ending and incessant in trying to out perform one another. This waltz ends in great intensity with the impression of fortissimo and presto left behind. Danse Macabre, Op. 40 is known to many as the “dance of the dead” or sound of the devil. It truly upholds this metaphor with the sound of the xylophone and triangle creating a word painting of the clicking of skeletal bones in a graveyard picture...
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...Analysis of Moulin Rouge Deidra Lyyski ENG 225 Introduction to Film Instructor Kenneth Newton April 10, 2013 Analysis of Moulin Rouge Many films use a stylistic system to structure a narrative around a main thematic idea. Baz Luhrman’s 2001 Oscar winning masterpiece Moulin Rouge (Luhrman, 2001) is one such film that contains each of these narrative elements: sound, cinematography, mise-en-scene, and editing. A more in-depth analysis requires that mise-en-scene to be broken down into the categories of setting, color usage, costume, makeup and hairstyle, and props. Through these elements, the movie’s theme of Bohemian inspired ideals of beauty, freedom, truth, and above all things: love is illustrated. Along with highlighting the prominent themes and symbols evident in the film, I will analyze how each of the above mentioned are used. The film is set in the village of Montmarte, Paris during the pre-war era between 1899 and 1900. Christian (Ewan McGregor), an impoverished poet, comes to Paris and falls in with a group of Bohemians who want to sell a musical number to Harold Zidler (Jim Broadbent), the owner of the Moulin Rouge. Zidler needs a financial backer to transform the bordello into a modern theater; the rich Duke of Worcester (Richard Roxburgh) is persuaded to back the renovations as well as a spectacular new show, written primarily by Christian, in return for Zidler’s guarantee that the Duke retains the exclusive favors of Satine (Nicole Kidman), the club’s star...
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...This analysis only includes elements and principles yours will include additional information. Use checklist for direction and ideas. Pablo Picasso's The Three Musicians A Brief Compositional Analysis by Cliff Stuckey The three musicians is a highly organized arrangement of shape and color which successfully conveys the feelings associated with musical composition. Picasso's masterpiece works on several levels, as an abstract composition based on the narrative relationships of three traditional characters in the Italian theater Commedia del Arte and as a formal design. As with most of Picasso's pieces, there are hidden meanings that are to amuse him as well as casual observers. The picture pays tribute to some of Picasso's friends whom he has associated with the characters. More important than the narrative content of the picture, Picasso follows his tendency to construct a highly controlled surface with its formal concerns of balancing the elements of shape and color. The first device he uses is an apparently symmetrical arrangement of the three figures, equally sized, with one in the center and another on each side. But he defies the apparent symmetry by making the figure on the right side very dark, while the countering figure on the left is very light. The painting achieves its balance, in part, by using extreme contrasts of light and dark, thus defying the initial instinct of the viewer and shifting the work to an asymmetrical balance. Small areas of...
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...Define jazz in your words Jazz is a form of expression that does not confine itself to music and expands itself to influence beautiful art pieces––such as paintings, poems, novels and essays––that intellectuals represent themselves in. Is that truly what jazz is? Not really, as it is a culture that has more than one identity, as well as, more than one definition. Describe jazz Jazz culture consists of different types of art, but they have many elements in common. Jazz music is truly innovative; the whole existence of jazz defies traditional music structure and attempts to create art out of improvised pieces. Narrate your experience of jazz I do not have much experience with Jazz. The first time I was introduced to jazz music was in middle school, when a friend of mine kept bugging me to listen to a “cool music” he had found. At first, I was surprised by the musical composition. It was a chaotic and disorganized piece of music that felt somewhat soothing. In the music, there were different instruments that, at first sounded like they were attacking each other, but soon felt like they were...
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...Paul Hindemith holds a unique place in the history of twentieth century classical music. His compositional style does not fit into one simple category of composition like many of his contemporaries. He wrote in a Neo Classical style but completely unlike that of Stravinsky’s, his music was tonal but not diatonic, and he was not confined to the rules of Schoenberg’s twelve tone method. Instead, Hindemith had a musical language all of his own - combining the intricate counterpoint reminiscent of J.S. Bach with expressionism and German folk song. His Symphony entitled Mathis der Maler (‘Mathias the Painter’) is a bold representation of all of these varying facets of Hindemith’s musical language. Very few works in the history of classical music have had as focused of a theme as Hindemith’s opera of the same name. It addressed the deeply personal issue of the artist’s role in society through the lens of the turbulent Peasant’s War in Germany from 1524-1525. The war, which was rooted in the rhetoric and ideologies of Protestant Reformation, presented with serfs revolting against their feudal lords in the name of fairness and equality. The opera, loosely based on history, is a fictional account of the life of painter Mathias Grunewald. Faced with the brutal revolution, Mathias was torn over his place as an artist in society, and...
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...Running Head: ART AND CULTURE THROUGH THE MIDDLE AGES AND BEYOND Art and Culture through the Middle Ages and Beyond IWT1 Abstract In this essay I compare the art of Middle Ages period to the art of the Pop Art period. I begin by explaining each period and the social and cultural factors contributing to art during the era. I then give examples of musical works from each time, a liturgical piece from Guillaume de Machaut, and a rock and roll song from Pop Art icon Elvis Presley. A summary includes a compare and contrast of the styles in whole and of the specific pieces, noting the impact of rock and roll on modern day music and society. Art and Culture through the Middle Ages and Beyond The subject of art throughout history is one that is widely debated and highly subject to interpretation. One thing that isn’t debatable is that cultural influences from centuries ago are as relevant as ever, from theming box office movies to manipulating the way we see the world around us. Of course, art forms are available in a wide variety, but I find music to be perhaps the most influential. To further elaborate, I will give an explanation of two separate periods of music through history in the following essay. The Middle Ages The Middle Ages, also referred to as the Medieval period, was a time when science and technology were being pursued perhaps more than ever, yet humanism wasn’t quite in the lead. “We are inclined today to romanticize the Middle Ages as a time when things...
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...Eliot regarded Four Quartets as his masterpiece and it is the work that led to his being awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. It consists of four long poems, each first published separately: Burnt Norton (1936), East Coker (1940), The Dry Salvages (1941) and Little Giddings (1942). Each has five sections. Although they resist easy characterization, each begins with a rumination on the geographical location of its title, and each meditates on the nature of time in some important respect—theological, historical, physical—and its relation to the human condition. Each poem is associated with one of the four classical elements air, earth, water, and fire.Outline Research Paper Thesis Statement: T.S. Eliot wrote poems that expressed his negative views of life, the human race, and the world around him by personifying" I’m not sure what this means: "comparing and highlighting the negative facts about them. The thesis statement should be able to stand alone so you would have to elaborate T.S. Eliot wrote poems that expressed his negative views of life, the human race, and the world around him by personifying and intensifying specific aspects and metaphors in his writing. Background Information Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 Sept. 1888-4 Jan. 1965), poet, critic, and editor, was born Thomas Stearns Eliot in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of Henry Ware Eliot, president of the Hydraulic-Press Brick Company, and Charlotte Champed Stearns, a former teacher, an energetic social work volunteer...
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...1. In music, the early twentieth century was a time of revolt and change 2. The most famous riot in music history occurred in Paris in 1913 at the first performance of Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring. 3. Composers in the twentieth century drew inspiration from folk and popular music from all cultures, the music of Asia and Africa, and European art music from the Middle Ages through the nineteenth century. 4. Twentieth-century composers incorporated elements of folk and popular music within their personal styles because they were attracted to the unconventional rhythms, sounds and melodic patterns 5. A great twentieth-century composer who was also a leading scholar of the folk music of his native land was Béla Bartók. 6. Which of the following composers was not stimulated by the folklore of his native land? Anton Webern 7. In twentieth-century music string players are sometimes called on to use the wood instead of the hair on their bows, percussion instruments have become very prominent and numerous, & dissonance has been emancipated 8. Among the unusual playing techniques that are widely used during the twentieth century is the glissando, a rapid slide up or down a scale. 9. In modern music instruments are played at the very top or bottom of their ranges; uncommon playing techniques have become normal; noiselike and percussive sounds are often used 10. A piano is often used in twentieth-century orchestral music to add a percussive edge 11. The combination of two...
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...written on the subject by such authorities as Suzanne Langer, Bennet Reimer, Charles Leonhard, Abraham Schwadron, etc. Yet from my own contacts with fellow music educators here and abroad I know this is a topic people shy away from because it is usually regarded as something too abstract and perplexing. Thus, its true meaning often eludes many people. This afternoon I will try to deal with the subject as simply and briefly as possible, in a manner I hope you will all understand, and hopefully, put into practice. First of all, I would like to think of a philosophy of music education simply as an articulation of the values, role and place of music in education and in life as a whole. In the Preface of the PSME Curriculum Guide, “Enhancing Musical Growth in the Elementary School,” which some of you are probably familiar with, we stated that the underlying philosophy of our music education program is that it is ’”primarily aesthetic education, aimed at helping the learner develop a sensitivity to the expressive qualities of music… but also recognizing the social, ethical, psychological, physical and other values of music.” (This, I will explain at greater length later). This is in keeping with the basic philosophy of music education articulated in the PSME Workshop on “The Goals of Music Education” which was held in the Development Academy of the Philippines on November 7-9, 1975. The place and role of music education in the curriculum are expressed in the following tenets: (1)...
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...Monk really was the guru who lead Coltrane to his true path through hours of study into the horn and learning to use atonality in very tasteful and comprehendible Trane was able to channel his being into the instrument itself. Mastering Monk’s expressionism and compositional techniques he was able to channel a new kind of music that can only be described as a spiritual experience “A love supreme”. This masterpiece made the world see John Coltrane in a different light rather as a cool jazz, hard-bop player. Instead as someone who is seen as a pioneer in modern, experimental, and avant-garde music all equally valid vehicles of...
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...The Four Key Elements on Tarantino Films Quentin Tarantino has revolutionized the film industry. From his first directorial debut of Reservoir Dogs (1991) to his latest film Django Unchained (2012) he has presented the audience with unique techniques to intrigue and capture their desires for more. I regard Tarantino as the William Shakespeare of our time, because of the development and passion for his imagination and ambiguous style. Jim Smith wrote of Quentin Tarantino, as well as his films, so to have a better understanding as to whom Tarantino is as a person and director/writer. Smith titled his book “Tarantino”. The book states Tarantino has four key techniques in which most of the films are based on. These techniques are: the usage of the dramatic dialogue in the film; the very long, slow scenes exploiting, explaining, and foreshadowing the characters; the sudden dramatic reversal of tones; and the anti-chronological structure that transcends the audience’s limit of thought. Film directors edit their work to maintain only significant scenes to be revealed, thus most dialogues are cut in order to achieve such goals. Tarantino does otherwise. Dialogue is one key element in his films. Through dialogue, Tarantino manages to convey certain elements that are crucial to the existence of each character. For almost the first ten minutes in Reservoir Dogs, the development of each character is raised through the use of Dialogue. The characters discuss many comical issues which...
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...the music full of orchestral effects and strong emotions, you only need to close your eyes and the world of imagination will give you great possibilities. Nightfall and “creeping” sound draws garden of Kashey, his dark kingdom. Afterwards, Dance of the Firebird starts and we can feel how fantastically beautiful she is. Varying colorful orchestration helps us to draw the picture of this shining bird and her greatness. We hear her fiery wings flapping and see the grace in every movement. She is gorgeous, fantastic and it is impossible to stop looking at this miracle. Listener feels the typical spirit of Russia through this wonderful composition. Stravinsky even uses Russian folk song “Po Sadiky” in the “Round Dance of the Princess”. Musical flavor here reminds me about Russian winter, beauties of nature and singing birds flying from one tree to another. I see the winter sunny day where all the beautiful ladies went outside to “zakryjit horovod”. The atmosphere here is completely different to the Dance of Kashei, which is full of...
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