Part 1
Music as sound: What is played?
The musical instruments employed in the music’s performed above were pianos. Each musical instrument was played by a single player. Hence, the total group comprised of only the three players. The Hornbostel & Sachs instrument classifications classify the musical instrument being played by the performers i.e. the pianos as chordophones. This is due to the fact that the sounds produced by the pianos were as a result of the vibration of strings stretched between fixed points (Winckel 14). The musical texture in the music’s was homophonic. This is due to the fact that it consisted of melodies which prominently stood while other accompaniments were joined in to create a harmonic background.
The music’s were mostly consonant. This was due to the fact that they created a tonal blend in between their notes. They were also performed in a stable tone of continuous motion. Their level of consonance did not vary throughout the performance as well. They basically drew a simple, periodic and regular rhythm with no much variance. The meaning and significance of the music’s weren’t presented by their performers. This is due to the fact that the music’s seemed preconceived and practised in advance by their performers. The music’s were also mostly soft with without much variance in their dynamics. They had a high pitch even though their melodies were soft. They were fast as well with little variance in their tempo.
Part 2
Music and behaviour: where, when, by whom and for who is it played?
The level of specialization observed in the music’s performed above was professional. This is due to the fact that performers were meticulously articulate in playing their musical instruments. Their level of interaction with their audience can also be termed as informal. This is due to the fact that there were no audience portrayed during the entire performance. The music’s performers were all in solitude as they performed their pieces. The performers in the music’s did not utilise cues as they began and ended their music. Also, there was no interaction observed between the three musicians as they performed their pieces.
The musicians can be said to belong to a high social class. This can be observed from their formal mode of dressing. Also, the flexibility the musicians portray as they play the complex musical instruments tells that they belong to a high social standing. I was not distracted from the music as I listened to the performers performing the music’s. This was due to the fact that the music’s performed by the performers were direct. There were no physical movements accompanying the music as well. Lastly, it was evident that the performers of the music’s had taught themselves the music’s they performed. This is due to the fact that there were no instructors or guides directing them as they performed their pieces.
Part 3
Music as ideas: Why is it played?
The origin of the music was not presented by the performers. There was no question of ownership of the music either. The music’s performed above did not have specific functions. Their performers performed them majorly to entertain their listeners. The music’s performed above weren’t performed to grace any occasion either. This is seen in the simple setting of their performance stages. They do not contain any symbolic content or special meaning as well. Lastly, the videos above show that the performers of the music’s performed the music at their own free will. They were neither forced nor instructed to perform the music’s to grace a specific occasion.
Works Cited
Winckel, Fritz. Music, sound and sensation: A modern exposition. Courier Corporation, 2014.
