Analyzing concert Carl Orff: Carmina Burana make analysis
Concert Report Guidelines
Listening to live performances is an essential part of learning to appreciate and understand music. Your instructor may require you to attend a live performance and then write a concert report. Here are some general guidelines to help you listen, think, and write about a concert.
Basic Information to Include
- When and where did the concert take place? How long did it last?
- How many pieces were performed? What were they called and how many movements were in each? Who composed each piece?
- Who were the performers (name of the ensemble and/or names of the soloists)?
- If there was a conductor, what was his or her name?
- What types of instruments were played and/or what types of voice parts were featured?
- Was there any special purpose to the concert? If so, explain.
General Questions to Keep in Mind
- What was your general reaction to the concert? How did the performance sound to you?
- Was the music performed well?
o Were the musicians rhythmically "together"?
o Were they playing/singing in tune?
o Did any instruments or voices stick out?
o How would you rate the musicians' technical ability and the energy of their performance?
o Did they seem well prepared for the concert?
- Which composition did you like best? Why? (e.g., what specifically did you like about the piece itself or the way it was performed?)
- Which composition did you like least? Why?
- Did any of the compositions trigger an emotional response from you? What were your specific feelings or thoughts in response to the music?
- Is this type of concert experience new to you? How do you think that might influence your perceptions of what you heard and observed?
- What makes a performance an artistic event?
Specific Points to Consider
You may want to focus your discussion and analysis of the concert on one or more of the following points.
- Describe what you heard and observed using the following musical terms, elements, and concepts discussed in class.
o Genre (symphony, concerto, string quartet, etc.)
o Stylistic period (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, etc.)
o Mood (emotion conveyed by the music and performers)
o Pitch To what extent does pitch vary throughout the piece? How do changes in pitch reflect changes in mood?
o Rhythm (beat, accent, tempo, meter, syncopation) How were the elements of rhythm used to create special or interesting musical effects?
o Dynamics (level of sound) Identify changes in dynamics and discuss the effect these changes create.
o Tone color (bright, brassy, warm, ringing, hollow, etc.)
o Mode (major, minor)
o Harmony/Melody Discuss the balance (or lack of it) between the melody and its "accompaniment." Did you hear consonance, dissonance, or a combination of both?
o Motives/Themes Identify and note where individual motives and themes are first introduced and subsequently reappear in each piece.
o Texture (monophony, homophony, polyphony, etc.)
o Form (sonata form, A B A, theme and variations, etc.)
- Using the musical terminology and concepts covered in class, discuss the most interesting musical elements or features of the pieces that were performed.
- Compare the pieces from this performance with other compositions you have studied in class, noting similarities and differences. (Note: In selecting a composition from class, you may want to look for a piece by the same composer, from the same style period, or of the same genre as the piece(s) from the performance.)
- How does this concert compare to the performance(s) you attended previously?
- Describe the behavior of the performers and the audience. What, if any, interaction occurred between the two? What kind of behavioral expectations do performers and audiences bring to the concert? How are these expectations satisfied or frustrated?
Outside Research
You may choose to add depth and detail to your report by briefly researching the pieces you heard at the performance. The following questions will help to guide your research.
- When was each of the pieces from the performance composed?
- Why were they written?
- What is each composer's background? Include the following information:
o Major works
o Birth and (if applicable) death dates
o Historical or stylistic period to which the composer belongs
o The composer's influence on contemporaries or later musicians
Concert Report Analysis Paper Guidelines and Rubric
Overview
Your paper will analyze a performance of concert (classical music), world music, or jazz. The following guiding questions are meant to help you in approaching writing about your experience. Your paper will not address these questions specifically, but your consideration of these questions will guide you in putting together an insightful analysis of your experience.
a. In what ways do the works embody (or reject) the predominant characteristics of the genre?
b. Is the work a creation of the performance artist? If not, how does the performance artist interpret the works?
c. What is the significance of the works?
Your concert analysis paper is due at the end of Module Seven. Plan early and make arrangements so that you can attend your performance of choice.
Guidelines
You will strategically organize your paper to put together an analysis of your concert experience and present:
A Concise Introduction
This introduction will identify the group or artist, genre (styles of music) performed, time and location of the performance, (large or small, whether or not people were engaged by the musical performance, demographics, etc.), and the titles of the specific pieces from the concert that you will discuss in depth, as well as their importance in the genre.
An Organized Body
The body of your paper will follow the introduction with a musical discussion of the selected pieces. You do not have to discuss every piece within a given concert; select three selections to highlight. However, your selections should include the most relevant music for each piece. Your body paragraphs will specifically explore and explain elements of the music and how these elements are collectively used to express the main ideas or emotions associated with the works.
A Unifying Conclusion
This is where you pull it all together. Your conclusion should identify whether you personally found the performance experience enjoyable (why or why not). Include whether the concert venue itself enhanced or detracted from your musical experience. Compare and contrast your experience with that of the other audience members you identified in your introduction.
Format
Your Concert Report Analysis Paper should be a minimum of 2 to 3 pages, double spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins (not including cover page or resources) and the group or artist is properly cited in APA or MLA format.