Instructions:
Essay should be
– typed in Microsoft Word and saved as a Microsoft Word File (.doc)
-between 300-400 words (3 paragraphs: intro-body-conclusion)
Prompt:
Use the provided listening file (Sp 17 Essay 2 Sample) to discuss the elements of music that you hear. You MUST discuss: instrumentation, texture, and dynamics. Choose a fourth option (such as form, rhythm/meter, timbre, etc.) to include in your discussion of the music elements. In the last sentence of your second paragraph (body/main paragraph), tell me whether you think this piece was composed in the Classical or Romantic period and why you think that (use the music elements you’ve already discussed to make your argument). You will probably need to review the qualities of music from the Classical and Romantic periods* and compare that with what you heard in this piece of music.
NOTE: Since this piece is over 7 minutes long, and there are several different sections you will likely discuss, I would like you to use time stamps or markings (use actual numbers). So, for example, you might say “At 1:00, the instrumentation changes from full orchestra to just woodwinds, which creates a decrescendo that lasts from 1:00 to 1:47.” (Notice how I discussed both instrumentation and dynamics in the same sentence???? That’s what I’d like to see you doing in your essays.) Please make sure that your essay discusses what happens throughout the entire piece and not just the beginning or end (you certainly don’t want me to think you didn’t listen to the whole piece).
*I’m not concerned about whether or not you pick the correct historical era. What I want to see is if you can put the information about the historical eras in context (listening) and come to a reasonable conclusion.