Good Example Of Essay On Live Music Report

The live music piece I attended took place in a music hall. It was brightly lit, and of ample size, with a stage that allotted for more than what was necessary for the small amount of players, ranging from brass to woodwind instruments. The audience was quiet and respectful, though it appeared that they shared the same responses as I did, ranging from contemplative to irritated, throughout the piece. The audience, as well as myself, were dressed in casually formal attire, as if we were attending a school recital or a semi-fancy restaurant. They did not seem generally enthused by the piece of music overall, though it was initially rather pedestrian compared to other pieces I have heard. The performers were also dressed in casually formal attire, almost as if they were wearing uniforms all in black. Their demeanor did not lend anything to the passion of the music, and they seemed almost less enthused than the audience did. Some looked as if they had been forced on stage with an instrument in hand during some parts of the piece. They were lackadaisical with their movements; there was little energy.
The style of music played did have classical elements to it but could best be described as medieval. Though the concerto flowed at certain points, dipping and rising with some emotion, primarily it sounded as though it stuck close to a few notes, most closely resembling those played by an organ. The piece was overwhelmingly somber, almost as though it was something that might be played at a funeral or wake. While I did not find the composition preferential to any other, it was emotive. In a certain way, the piece was relaxing. There were no surprising crescendos to make the audience, or myself, swell with emotion. It made the music boring to begin with. However, there were gradual undulations and waves that allowed me to drift on the imagery of the piece. I continued imagining the waves of music until eventually my mind saw a melancholy ship captain, adrift on a gradually dying sea. The water would roll and break lazily at the ship’s hull; the wind would push the ship forward slowly. Ultimately though, the expression on the captain’s face let me know that much like the composition, the ship was eventually going to sink. It was in this manner overall that the music gave me a sense of sadness and melancholy. Normally this may have made me dislike the entire piece, but it was brought about in such a delicate fashion that I longed for more of the music. I felt a little restless as the performance went on, almost as if the music was too relaxing, or as if it was granting access to an impending event that I did not wish to happen, much like the sinking of a ship. However, this could have been the image I allowed the music to evoke in my mind that created this emotion.
Previously I had called the musicians pedestrian, and I stand behind this statement. I have heard compositions that were played much better than the piece I heard in the concert hall that night. However, I have also heard far worse pieces of music. I noted that there was a lack of energy in the players’ performance, almost as if they had been forced on stage toward their instruments against their will. Upon further speculation of my own emotions during the piece, and of its overall effect on the imagery in my mind, I believe perhaps this was an appropriate response to the piece on behalf of the players. The piece was call, bordering almost on dull in some places. Despite that fact, if the players had emerged with intense energy to play such a soft piece, the visual would have juxtaposed in such a way that it would have been confusing to the audience. However, there is something to be said for the players looking like drones. They did not look calm or relaxed, as the piece sometimes sounded. They instead still looked stiff-backed and compulsory. They did not look comfortable playing the piece; I believe if they had looked more languid in their playing, especially the brass players, the piece would have been slightly more relaxing and may not have had the restless effect it seemed to have on myself and some members of the audience. That being said, there was a certain amount of calm brought to the music, but there could have been more. The ensembles’ poor emotive expression notwithstanding, they appeared to communicate well with one another, and the conductor sometimes had good control over each section. He cycles back and forth between appearing to enjoy his job and appearing to drift off in thought. When he was attentive, he was very spirited in his motions. He attended to the music, and each section’s duties to the piece, as well as each individual player. It is a difficult job that he managed to make appear easy.
Though the piece was passable, there were elements of it that I liked less than other parts. For example, the flute section sometimes overwhelmed the other sections. It made the composition sound tinny and hollow, something I have never enjoyed about other pieces of music. The notes during some sections were very low, which accounted for the feeling that the music might be suited for a funeral or some situation that involved mourning. There were also instances in the piece when it sounded as though only all of the instruments were playing a single note at one time. There was no diversity, no waves, or gentle lulls in the music. It made it difficult to listen to for long. It was whiny, almost as though a mosquito was flying in my ear for too long. Deciphering between instruments became impossible when breaks in the piece like this would happen and it made it very difficult to concentrate on the piece itself. In fact, it was detrimental to the piece. It was difficult enough to begin with to decipher beauty and originality in the piece, but I was able to do so. However, the monotonous whining of these combined tones was almost enough to drive me from the music hall. It was enough to drive several audience members from the music hall; they were unable to endure the high pitch the instruments elicited and even a few of the players looked annoyed in some instances. It was, by far, what I disliked the most about the composition.
As I stated, these parts of the composition made me feel as though a mosquito was buzzing in my ear. In the vaguest of senses, they made me feel as if I was going insane. The feeling was akin to when one cannot get a dog to stop barking or a baby to stop crying. The tone went on for seconds at a time with no sign of stopping until I began to wonder if it would ever stop. Of course, it finally did but it was so unnerving that it would take a moment or two for me to settle back into the dull and original rhythm the composition had initially set. In my mind, when these pitches and notes would insert themselves, I began to see a thermometer reaching its boiling point, as is popularly shown in cartoons when the character becomes angry. The angrier the character becomes, the hotter the thermometer becomes. Finally, when the character reaches their boiling point, the thermometer will burst and glass will shatter everywhere. I began imagining the note pushing the thermometer to its boiling point. The long it went on, the hotter the thermometer would get until finally it would burst and glass would shatter everywhere and I would be left hoping it meant the note would soon end. One can only take so much auditory torture before they snap. Generally, this portion of music did not evoke any emotions so much as restlessness that bordered on severe irritation.
As stated, the music during my least favorite portions of the performance sounded irritating. It did not sound like music at all. The energy in the room was unsettled and during these instances, the nonchalance of the performers was taken as insulting. They seemed undeterred by the annoying whine of the instruments culminating into these high-pitched cacophonies, and if it were not for similar responses from other members of the audience, I would have thought I was imagining the sound. During these pieces of music, the performers seemed comfortable with the technical demands of the music because there did not seem to be any demands at all. The conductor was able to wave his hand lazily about as he turned the music pages slowly while the performers leisurely moved their fingers from one key to another, shifting notes together in whining unison. The ensemble communication could be considered good because all players managed to stay together and, from what I could gather, on key. Despite this garish portion of the piece, and the somewhat uninterested nature of the players, I did find the underwhelming calm intriguing after I had left and had time to contemplate the piece.
The experience of going to see a live ensemble was not new to me. I have seen several throughout my life, both professional and unprofessional. Some have been small and others have been relatively large. While I do not consider myself an expert in live musical analysis, I do see myself as a novice. I cannot say that I expected anything different out of the performance I attended. Because the instruments were primarily brass and woodwinds, the whining notes held for prolonged periods were not a surprise, though they were still annoying. The low, melancholy tones that mingled with classical pieces were also expected given the instruments. I did not expect, however, to find such an underwhelming piece to haunt me as it did. The visions of a lonely sea captain adrift on the waves stay with me even now, as I replay some of the lingering notes in my mind. Typically, when a piece is underwhelming, or when the performers do not bring what I consider an appropriate amount of energy to the performance, I am quick to forget about it. Elements of this piece have stayed with me, which was unexpected.
This performance was much like other performances I have attended. The performers were professionally dressed, in casual formal attire; this is what I normally see when I attend live musical performances. Everybody appeared to be wearing a uniform of black dress pants and a black top. The conductor shared this uniform. The audience was dressed similarly. The p*-erformers sat in a semicircular formation around the conductor, lined up based on instrument. The conductor’s back faced the audience. This is also all typical of what I have seen when attending a live musical performance. I have recorded many grievances about the performance, but I happened to enjoy it more than anything did. It seemed dreary and lackluster to begin with; as I began to contemplate the music and let my mind wander, however, I discovered there was more to contemplate. The piece was not as exciting and thrilling like others I have heard, but instead it was complicated, and forced me to think. It was not grueling like other homework assignments I have received, but instead was open to my interpretation. I have no way to know if the others in the audience were also envisioning the lonely sea captain I had seen while the music was playing. And there is no way for me to know if that is what I will see if I ever hear the piece played again; that is one of the things I love most not only about music, but about this piece specifically. It was boring at first, but was simply lying in wait for me to discover its secrets. It is not something that I have come across often concerning music, but I am happy when it happens. In this circumstance, it was most unexpected, which made it even more enjoyable. Even if it were not a requirement, I would go again if just to glean more from the piece to contemplate it and try to better understand the deep melancholy of music that does not give off an initial emotion. I am beginning to understand that compositions such as this provide me with an opportunity to better connect with myself and how I relate to the world around me.