The first piece written by Lowell Liebermann, Sonata for Flute and Harp, Op. 56 was a vibrant piece music dealing mostly with chromaticism at its center. The harp slowly and gradually moves in a crescendo with an almost synonymous sound to a suspense movie. The flute on the other hand, acts as the amplifying instrument that amplifies the tension created by the harp. Similarly, David Kechley’s piece, Available Light: Midwinter Musings for Flute and Harp possesses almost the same characteristics as Liebermann’s piece with an exemption of a calm and soothing reflective 3rd movement, the Lyric Transformation. The 1st and 2nd movement, Frenetic Reflection and Cold Fusion desperately dives into an even more chromaticism while still…
Composers use a number of elements to convey their particular point of view. Those elements can be anecdotes, visual imagery and language techniques. The understanding of humanity and our capacity to destroy is represented through the distinctly visual. In the Shoehorn Sonata and Dulce Et Decorum Est the writers have invited the audience to examine societies role in acknowledging humane treatment and the importance of reflecting on suffering experienced.…
Even the lyrics of Shadow Waltz stress the power of imagination: “Let me dream a song that I can bring to you . . . Let me linger long, let me live my song.” During the Great Depression, viewers wanted to leave their harsh realities and escape into the world of entertainment, if only for a while. However, escape is ultimately fleeting; as the shot of the flower creating ripples in the pond illustrates, illusion is always broken. Likewise, the concluding shot of the audience members and the lowering curtain reminds the viewer that the fantastical “reality” of “Shadow Waltz” is merely an illusion, a musical within a…
In late '65, the Beatles released their second film, shot across the globe, which featured several new songs and first exposed them to East Indian music. It is...…
Films serve as an effective medium for educating their audience members. For historical events such as the Holocaust, films carry the immense potential to assure that the memory of horrifying systematic brutality inflicted on certain populations and the memory of the horrors these victims’ experienced live on. Films are instrumental in assimilating the remembrance of genocides like the Holocaust into public and popular consciousness. With the pivotal influence that these films harness, finding the balance between upholding historical accuracy and evoking strong emotions from the audience stands at the crux of Holocaust film production. In exploration of this balance, three films from different genres-- Night and Fog, Life is Beautiful,…
With much less sharp angles, “Wiistedt’s View” creates a melancholic soundscape that works mostly in a typical piano trio formation, expanded with the inclusion of Dahlgren’s mellow trombone.…
I have listened to 'Beautiful Day' by U2 a number of times and each time the message Bono, the writer and lead vocalist, is sending out becomes clearer and clearer. The message behind this song is the environment and how it has changed as a result of how people have treated it. He is trying to make people see that something needs to be done about the environment before it deteriorates. The first time I listened to 'Beautiful Day', I highlighted key words and phrases which I thought were significant to what the song is mainly about. I, also, thought about the influence this song has had on its audience and me, and how it could help me when I do verbal arts.…
We can find moments of pure magic within this revolutionary aesthetic, regardless if the mood is uproariously breathtaking through well-controlled chaos dominated by transcendental saxophone catharses, or conspicuously intimate, and consequently smoother and…
The album’s meaning was more specifically about leaving behind past problems and moving on with life. Songs like “Let it Be” are about people forgetting about their problems and just relaxing. Another example of this would be the song,“Across the Universe” which says multiple times,”nothing’s gonna change my world.” Compared to the Beatles other songs and albums this album is the key to the lock, matching their style and message perfectly. The Beatles are known for being a very poetic band and this album is a great example of…
The lyrics of the song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, performed by The Beatles, and primarily written by John Lennon, takes the reader or listener on a journey into the imagination. There are a few interpretations of this song. The most popular interpretation being, that the lyrics of the song follow the kind of journey that one would embark on upon the consumption of the hallucinogenic drug LSD which would project the wildest of imaginings.…
In John Lennon’s song “Imagine” the vision of a world without conflict speaks through every lyric. Lennon wanted to portray his dream of humanity being united…
“Across the Universe” is a musical film based on 34 compositions by the legendary rock’n’roll quartet – the Beatles. The movie is called after the same name song of the band, “Across the Universe”, which was released in 1969 and later as one of tracks of a charity album “No One is Going to Change Our World” at the label “Apple”.…
Dead Island is a video game where players are trapped on an island resort and have to fight zombies in order to survive. The trailer for the game does not focus on how the game is actually played, which is the norm for game trailers, but instead sets up a narrative that is different from society’s typical view on zombies. The trailer also has more depth and emotional pull than most advertisements. It pulls at the heartstrings of its audience by using a touching visual narrative and accompanying it with emotional music. It is in our culture to create meaning and definition of things because we are afraid of the unknown. The Dead Island trailer alters our culture’s typical view of zombies and of advertisements, as there has not been a video game trailer similar to the narrative or musical accompaniment of the Dead Island trailer. This trailer makes a successful and compelling advertisement because the visual narrative and the music work together to create a memorable, emotionally jarring, and unique piece unlike other trailers.…
For this reflection, I choose to share “The Pianist” one of my favorite films and one I thought tied well to this week’s reflection. The Pianist follows the dramatically moving story of a Polish-Jewish pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman who played the last live music over polish radio before it was interrupted by the first strikes of Nazi artillery of World War II. When I saw this movie for the first time and then again for this review what struck me the most was not only the plot and the characters but the music. Once you hear it every feeling of terror and helplessness the characters went through enters your own body, the music still echo’s in my mind. The music in this film was used brilliantly, as it guided the emotional response intended for the audience. For instance when it was used to present Szpilman, the music was an uplifting anthem, sending positive energy to the viewers, which made his character more amicable. As for the soundtrack in a fast paced scene of war, it would match this with a fast-paced tempo piano piece, which spilled over into the audience as a running sensation. Another example would be the classical pieces used, which had a clear general mood and Szpilman’s character weighed heavily on the substance of the music. The uses of soundtrack for the purposes of foreshadowing were very obvious with deep sounds or loud dramatic pieces before a scene of sorrow or uproar. I believe music in this film was used as an expression of Wladyslaw Szpilman mental state, using music as a hallucinatory coping mechanism. It is Szpilman’s music that provides the most unfettered insights into his inner life, with very powerful musical pieces played throughout times of inner…
Across The Universe Act Naturally Ain't She Sweet All I've Got To Do All My Loving All Together Now All You Need Is Love And I Love Her…