American Romantics Concert Analysis
American Romantics Concert Analysis
Professor Marasco
Music History II
9 May 2014
On April 30, 2014, the Wyoming Seminary Civic Symphony Orchestra and Madrigal Singers held a spring concert at the Sette LaVerghetta Center Auditorium at Marywood University. Led by Conductor, Rick Hoffenberg the symphony orchestra collectively performed three pieces during the concert: “Overture to ‘The School for Scandal,’ OP. 5”, “Prayers of Kierkegaard” and “Symphony No.3, Op. 33.” These three stylistically different pieces allowed the audience to experience the various sounds of Romantic era music. The two composers showcased during the concert included Samuel Barber and Howard Hanson. For the symphony orchestra’s performance of “Overture to ‘The School for Scandal,’ OP. 5” I closely shadowed the development of the piece’s dynamic level, tone color, texture and tempo. The ensemble opened the piece with a bold dynamic level led by woodwinds and percussion but immediately transitioned to a lower dynamic level solely involving the string family. Initially, the tone color varied. It was showcased through the woodwind, percussion and string families equally until the strings took center stage becoming the main focus of the opening portion of the composition. Here, the opening texture of the piece was thick and included a variation of instruments such as cymbals, triangles, a bass drum and a variety of strings. The immediate tempo of the piece was fast, however, once the string family took over it regressed back to a slower tempo led solely by violins and violas. The ensemble’s performance was characterized by a number of shifts in tempo and dynamics. For majority of the middle portion the dynamic level intensified. With the addition of more instruments, the volume of the piece was much louder than it was in the opening section adding strength to the musical atmosphere. Here, the
Professor Marasco
Music History II
9 May 2014
On April 30, 2014, the Wyoming Seminary Civic Symphony Orchestra and Madrigal Singers held a spring concert at the Sette LaVerghetta Center Auditorium at Marywood University. Led by Conductor, Rick Hoffenberg the symphony orchestra collectively performed three pieces during the concert: “Overture to ‘The School for Scandal,’ OP. 5”, “Prayers of Kierkegaard” and “Symphony No.3, Op. 33.” These three stylistically different pieces allowed the audience to experience the various sounds of Romantic era music. The two composers showcased during the concert included Samuel Barber and Howard Hanson. For the symphony orchestra’s performance of “Overture to ‘The School for Scandal,’ OP. 5” I closely shadowed the development of the piece’s dynamic level, tone color, texture and tempo. The ensemble opened the piece with a bold dynamic level led by woodwinds and percussion but immediately transitioned to a lower dynamic level solely involving the string family. Initially, the tone color varied. It was showcased through the woodwind, percussion and string families equally until the strings took center stage becoming the main focus of the opening portion of the composition. Here, the opening texture of the piece was thick and included a variation of instruments such as cymbals, triangles, a bass drum and a variety of strings. The immediate tempo of the piece was fast, however, once the string family took over it regressed back to a slower tempo led solely by violins and violas. The ensemble’s performance was characterized by a number of shifts in tempo and dynamics. For majority of the middle portion the dynamic level intensified. With the addition of more instruments, the volume of the piece was much louder than it was in the opening section adding strength to the musical atmosphere. Here, the