Essay
Describe the venue in which the performance is being held, thearrangement/decoration/lighting of the space, and the position of the musicians relative to theaudience (i.e. in the center of the room, on a stage, in the corner, etc.)• Describe the audience. How do the people attending this performance interact with oneanother and with the musicians? (Is silence encouraged during the performance? If so, how? Dolisteners applaud and cheer after each piece? During the performance? Do people talk amongthemselves, dance, sing along, etc, while the music is playing? Do the interactions, clothingchoices, etc. seem formal or informal? Why/how so?)• Be extremely careful not to over-generalize when you describe the audience. Qualifystatements by:a) being as specific as possible (ex: “After the conclusion of the piece, the audience burst intoloud and vigorous applause that lasted over a minute,” would be better than, “The audienceloved the show.”) b) framing assertions in a way that makes it clear that they are your ownobservations and not inarguable facts (ex: “Most of the people sitting in my immediate vicinitywere dressed formally. Waiting in line for a coffee at the intermission, I saw that this was alsotrue for a larger number of the concertgoers,” would be better than saying, “Everyone wasdressed very formally.”• Write about “the music itself.” Although we have gone to great lengths in this class tointerrogate the relationship between music and context, part of the objective of this assignmentis for you to use the vocabulary we discuss in class to describe the sounds you hear at events.Show that you can correctly describe textures, meters, instrumental ensembles, etc. in additionto the stylistic parameters specific to the genres we study in this class.• Back up your statements with exampleso Statement: “The concert featured a relaxed and informal atmosphere.” o Example: “Betweenthe first and second songs, the singer/songwriter tuned her guitar and told the story behind theupcoming composition. She also engaged the audience directly at several points, asking theparty at the front table how they were enjoying their coffee and begging the gentleman in theback of the café to stop requesting the song ‘Freebird!’”
0 comments