So the Idea is to provide 3 pages comparing 2 peices of orchestral or similar concert peices. One needs to be from pre-20th century selections. The other needs to be more current such as something from 20th century onward. The issue im having is im not a huge music buff but the class was required. So im stuck learning concepts that I cant seem to fully grasp as I dont have a fine ear for this type of music. Im hoping someone here has the knowledge I need to get this started. If anyone thinks they have what it takes please post. the requirements are here:


Length: 3 pages, double spaced, standard font and margins

Due: Last day of class (3weeks from this post)



-- Choose a piece of music from BEFORE the 20th century and a piece of music from the past few decades (preferably within the last 20-30 years).

The modern piece can be a song from the radio, a track from a movie soundtrack, etc.

You may use any examples. They may be from the book, but they do not have to be.



These two examples should sound similar enough that you could convince me that one "reminds" you of the other.

Please DO NOT pick a modern example that quotes or was directly influenced by the older example.

You will have to do some research to be sure, but there are plenty of examples to choose from.





-- In your paper, please describe why you think the two examples are similar using the various aspects from the "Materials of Music" unit, as well as any other characteristics you've learned about in other chapters. (Melody, Rhythm and Meter, Harmony, Form, Instrumentation, Period, Style, Genre, etc.)

Please also discuss the differences, but I'd like you to focus more on similarities.

You may also discuss things surrounding the examples, such as composer, history, purpose/intention, etc., but the majority of your paper should discuss the music itself.



Current picks(pre 20th):

Moonlight sonata - Beethoven
Prelude NO.6 Op28 - Chopin
Piano Prelude NO.4 op28 - Chopin


New-age picks:

nothing yet

I have 3 days to complete this. The one I ended up writing didnt fit the guidlines so I have to rewrite it with new music.

I have a few pieces picked I just need a little filler and some points on each song. nothing major. just like 1/2 a page each i can dismantle into my own thoughts and words. Obviously im not looking for the whole thing done for me just some help to make this go more smoothly.

Good luck. That's some work. And u will probably need the sheets

I managed to complete this. Ive got a couple days to work on revising it too. It wasnt as hard as I made it out to be in my head. Just fairly complex to compare modern vs old music.

I think comparing two sheets of music is always a challenge

ya its due tomorrow. im just adding little bits here and there to make it longer. i got 4 1/2 pages already lol. paper requires 3.

what peaces do you compare

Nobuo Uematsu; J-e-n-o-v-a (Piano arrangement)
vs.
Johann Sebastian Bach; Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No.1 BWV 1052 Mvt.1 ***

Listening Comparison:
Both pieces convey the sense of an unknown assailant or entity pursuing you, That feeling of inevitable capture almost overwhelming you as the strings and piano fight for power, or in Jenova's case the two opposing moods Uematsu uses to define the sense of a great battle against an impossible enemy being waged. While this quality of fleeting fear is in both pieces, they also contain short, hopeful phrases set carefully throughout each piece to get the greatest possible emotional response from the listener. Bach seems to hold these moments to convey a sense of wanting, or need for it to last, but abruptly both pieces interrupt this hope with the swift theme of the "assailant" in pursuit once more. At 0:35 Uematsu gives the first thoughts against this ensuing fear as though there might be a chance to escape. This is the first time we hear a remnant of the closing theme.
Primarily played in a presto and *** tempo, Jenova is much faster and much less dynamically fulfilling as Bach's concerto in *** and vivace tempos, it is also a solo piece(for this paper) as opposed to the much fuller sound of Bach's concerto. Bach's use of strings throughout most of the piece emphasizes the fearful theme even greater as he seems to momentarily escape his assailant at 2:25. Uematsu achieves the same sense of safety at 1:47 with an ascending theme of triumph or successful escape, showing a clear development leading to the closing statement. Shortly before its closing statement Uematsu lets the listener know that good has defeated evil at 1:54 with a fanfare like phrase evolving from the opening thought of the piece, this fanfare symbolizes the heroes fight against injustice throughout the original score(Final Fantasy VII Soundtrack). Uematsu's Jenova is a short piece in comparison to Bach's concerto which is almost 3 times the length of Jenova. But the texture of Uematsu's piece is just as vibrant in comparison to Bach's use of multiple instruments to achieve nearly the same effect. The mild use of, or lack of background instruments in Bach's concerto such as flutes, trumpets, or percussion, outside the piano's percussive nature throughout the piece is revolutionary to its time, in comparison to other works from the era from similar Baroque composers such as George F. Handel, or Antonio Vivaldi who never wrote a peice for the harpsichord.
At 3:19 Bach slows the melody into a mezzo piano tone conveying a sense of joy and fulfillment evidently escaping the unknown, at 4:03 this ends and the listener is thrown back into the sense of fear and a chase seems to ensue once more. Throughout the following minute or so the chase seems to go on forever with moments of escape and capture through the last 2 minutes of the piece(from about 6:00 onward). His use of molto presto tempo and the *** style of the melody are very emotionally effective. Though these peices are very different in tone, style, and era of composition, they both have many similarities as I have shown in this comparison. Im sure that in some way Uematsu's work was partially influenced by Bach as many artists have been since his era.

Johann Sebastian Bach; Concert for Piano and Orchestra No.1 BWV 1052 Mvt.1
BWV 1052 in all its movements was originally written for harpsichord, Bach composed multiple concertos for from one to four harpsichords, as well as composing works for nearly every other instrument of the age. His works include over 1,100 preserved pieces, and it's believed he composed many more. Experts speculate a mere 10% of his works survived since his lifetime. By many, the general thought about BWV 1052 is that it's based on a violin concerto by Bach. If this is the case, it would be considered one of his most virtuoso compositions. Though many disagree with this theory stating that it was written for harpsichord, which is the most accepted conclusion among other musicians and critics. BWV 1052's best preserved hand written copy is believed to have been written around 1734-1738 by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Johann's third out of five sons, this version is known as BWV 1052a. It should be mentioned that Carl, Johann's son, was also a well known composer; rumored to have surpassed his fathers fame for a time. A reconstructed version of the work was later created for violin and labeled 1052R, the most popular construction of the work by Robert Reits, written between 1884 and 1950. In the second half of the 1720s Bach wrote versions of all three movements of BWV 1052 as organ movements for use in two of his cantatas. BWV 1052 is know as one of the only concertos(6 total Brandenburg Concertos) to survive his Leipzig years. Bachs music could be considered the perfect image of Baroque music both in style and structure.

Nobuo Uematsu; J-e-n-o-v-a (Piano arrangement)
J-e-n-o-v-a was written between 94-96 by Nobuo Uematsu. Discovered in 1986 by a Square Inc. employee at a pub while performing with an underground band. Immediately after discovery he began writing musical scores for games. Uematsu was the first video game score composer to win "Song of the Year (Western Music)" at the 14th Annual Japan Gold Disc Awards in 1999, preceding an appearance in time magazine for being an "Innovator toward the future of music and video games". Since then he has composed more than 86 works including game compositions, movie sound tracks, children's songs, and many other works. The Jenova theme is something I grew up hearing as a child while playing Final Fantasy VII, at that time it was just a simple MIDI(early electronic tone based music) track within a game. Its chaotic theme has always had a place in my thoughts for those fearful moments of escape. Uematsu is a self taught keyboardist, this shows his true talent for musical composition as he had no outside training to assist in composing his works. It wasnt until nearly 15 years after his discovery that he got involved with orchestrating his work with help from various other composers. Originally all the music he had written was on keyboard and transcribed into electronic forms for game use. This method has assisted in keeping a detailed record of each version of his songs. I feel this quality is Uematsu's so called saving grace when being compared to Bach's seemingly infinite fame. In 2003 Uematsu composed a series of concerts with his band The Black Mages and the newly founded Distant Worlds Project, this concert series marked the end of Uematsu's conducting career in symphony, his predescesor Arnie Roth now conducts the Distant Worlds Final Fantasy Symphony Orchestra which tours the world year round bringing Uematsu's beautiful melodies to all corners of the world.










Resources:
Johann Sebastian Bach - Concert for Piano and Orchestra No.1 BWV 1052 Mvt.1 ***;1734-1738
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8ZJSxyOnLs&list=PLcGkkXtask_fpbK9YXSzlJC4f0nGms1mI&index=34
J,S. Bach Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Sebastian_Bach#External_links
Additional J,S. Bach sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyboard_concertos_by_Johann_Sebastian_Bach#Concerto_No._1_in_D_minor.2C_BWV_1052
Nobuo Uematsu - J-e-n-o-v-a (Piano arrangement);1994-1996
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9GEG-MohrQ&list=PL7F66F09E3B21B0FD&index=11
Nobuo Uematsu Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobuo_Uematsu
Additional Nobuo Uematsu sources:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0879965/
http://ocremix.org/artist/3/nobuo-uematsu
J-e-n-o-v-a Original Cut (Final Fantasy 7 Soundtrack): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6GrZYE2il0
Other Resources:
Bach, J.S. mvt1+2 violin concerto in D minor BWV 1052R: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWHbdei8RDI
Very cool arrangement of J-e-n-o-v-a: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA0i7Er5KqA&index=9&list=PLqor6MS2yuuCLoO1YMhx8kk0vvU2-l283
Jenova Orchestrated: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIlkvisQM6c
Distant Worlds Final Fantasy Symphony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsGJKkOWHhY&list=PLA8BAB9259BB4E2AA


Just posting it here cuz its complete and im pretty happy with it. apparently some of the words arent allowed lol. its all music terminology.

This post was edited by GNX on May 3 2016 02:03pm