Example Of Music Appreciation Of Music By Claude Bolling Recital Essay

I recently attended an MDC Faculty Recital conducted by Dr. Virginia Carruvias featuring music by Claude Bolling. My enjoyment and appreciation of his music will be the subject of analysis and appreciation throughout this paper. I also wish to comment on the feelings I experienced while listening to the music and what my general understanding of the technical aspects were during the evening. This analysis varies with the different movements of the music for each suite. During the evening, three movements of the suite for flute and piano (Irlandaise, Sentimentale, Baroque & Blue) and 3 movements of the suite for trumpet and piano (Rag-Polka, Mystique, Allegre) were played. The suite for flute and piano consisted of an orchestra of flute, piano, double bass, and drums. The Toot Suite for trumpet and piano consisted of trumpet, piano, double bass and drums. The Toot Suite also used 3 Types of trumpets. The B flat trumpet was used in the Rag Polka, and E flat, and C flat were used in the other two movements respectively.
The first suite was Irlandaise. It suggested feelings of romance, love and green lushness. The music had a slow drifting feel to it best described as adagio and an andante tempo. The piano was often played piano or pianissimo however the flute was somewhat louder. Sentimentale evoked feelings of being wrapped in dreamlike comfort and again had a drift like and soothing feeling to it. Soft piano could be heard with vibrato on the flute to create this atmosphere. Baroque and Blue was the most powerful of the three movements evoking feelings of sexual energy, activity and late nights. It achieved this mood by using shorter notes on the piano used changes of tempo and faster playing of the melody with louder and deeper chords also on the piano.
The music then changed to the Toot Suite and the Rag –Polka. It evoked feelings of meeting people and casual conversation. It also reminded me of other rags by Scott Joplin such as ‘The Entertainer’. The music had a saloon feel to it.
Mystique was much more sombre and it felt like the music tells the end of something enduring. The trumpet uses high notes and the piano uses low pitched chords at a lower volume throughout the piece. The music fades out towards the end of the song.
Allegre reminded me of being in a busy city during the day, taking public transport and walking through various parts of the city with small and large amounts of activity. The trumpet ranges from pianissimo to fortissimo and uses crescendo and decrescendo frequently to create different feelings of energy. The trumpet and drums seemed to use accenting and the piano chords were often played quickly to indicate changes from an ordinary to a fast the pace and to build up energy in the music.
Overall I thought the suite for flute and piano was beautiful however when the Toot Suite for trumpet and piano commenced, I felt much more entertained. Trumpet player Brian Neal engaged the crowd and made a big impression on my opinion of the trumpet. I have always been annoyed by the instrument but by the end of the suite I began to like it. I felt like most of the songs are fun pieces that challenge the idea of what classical or jazz music can be if entwined with other styles of music. The songs seem to combine jazz, classical and folkloric music. I enjoyed the Double Bass' use of pizzicato and thought it was touching. In the first part, suite for flute and piano. There was a part when flute and piano played for a while and then the other two instruments came in. I also enjoyed that Baroque and Blue builds up tension and ends up fast in the end.
My experience of watching the recital was favourable overall. I experienced different technical aspects, feelings and moods throughout the evening and experienced everything from relaxation, love, comfort and feelings of being in different settings to feeling sombre. I also picked up on some of the way the composer tried to create these feelings and moods by using accenting, changes in tempo, volume both gradually and suddenly.