Music Report Essay Examples

The Musical Arts Concert Series, “Fantastic Beasts,” was very good. I enjoyed it a lot and I could tell others in the audience also thought it was good. Some of the performances I have been to have too many pieces, or the pieces are not placed in an order that is pleasing to the audience. This was not the case with, “Fantastic Beasts.” Though there were a few pieces that I did not like, the concert overall was enjoyable.
It began with, “The Lamb.” I thought the text translations were nice; when the choir sang parts that were in a different language, the audience could still follow along. Both, “The Lamb,” and its following piece, “Il banco e dolce cigno,” had a somewhat relaxing tempo. They were good pieces to open the concert with, and I enjoyed them.
“The Silver Swan,” was played twice, allowing for both Orlando Gibbons’ and Robert A. Harris’ versions to be heard. Each had different qualities, of course. I enjoyed Harris’ version more; Gibbons’ was more mournful, and it was difficult to focus on the piece or the singing. The instruments also seemed to overlap one another too often. Paul Hindemith’s, “La Biche,” “Un cygne,” Pisque tout passe,” were a nice relief after such sad pieces. The words to each piece were sad in a way, but the instruments played with a quick tempo, and the beat was nice when compared to, “The Silver Swan.”
The choir during, “The Blue Bird,” and, “Il est bel et bon,” gave a nice canon to each piece. I was not expecting the choir to play as a second instrument. Sometimes the voices played as a third and fourth instrument, building the pieces to a rather surprising, but enjoyable crescendo. The climax of, “The Blue Bird,” would have been less fun without the choir’s presence. They added to the piece a lot.
“Die Natchtigal,” which was composed by Felix Mendelssohn was another piece I had difficulty finding pleasure in, even though most of the piece is soft melodies. The dynamic did not cycle very quickly, making the piece quiet and predictable. The choir’s singing was soft and almost upsetting. I began to wonder as, “El Grillo,” began to play whether they had planned to have a happier piece after each depressing one. Though, “El Grillo,” may not be described accurately as, “happy,” its dynamic was more energetic than, “Die Natchtigal,” and the audience looked more energetic because of it.
Animal Crackers, Vol. 1 featured, “The Panther,” “The Cow,” and “The Firefly.” Each piece reflected the animal it had been named for. “The Panther,” was quiet and almost unseen, with the music slowly building to a climax, like a cat before it attacks. “The Cow,” was clumsy and slow. “The Firefly,” was quick and difficult to understand. They were a good mirror image of their names, even if they became more predictable as the pieces continued.
The two closing pieces were very good. First was, “Precious Lord, Take My Hand,” which was arranged by Roy Ringwald. It was soft and gentle, the perfect piece to lead the audience into the orchestra’s and the choir’s finale. “Soon-ah Will Be Done,” by William Dawson,” closed the show. It was happy and light, but there was also an ending tone. The finale did not drone, it had excellent form. It was a perfect piece to end on given its fourth count measure and climbing crescendo. The audience, including myself, appeared to leave satisfied despite the few pieces that felt subpar.