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Blog Post #5: Alphorn Madness

1. I learned about the ways that they would historically make Alphorns using trees that were curved by the mountain slopes to create the curve and the bell of the Alphorn. We also learned about how the Alphorn was used to gather livestock. 2. I found the machinery he used to make the alphorns very interesting and cool. I was not at all expecting him to be using very modern technology. I thought his "trademark" of binding the Alphorns using a similar binding technique to milking buckets was also verg cool. I enjoyed seeing his workshop because it was a very cool combination of serious working environment, with his impressive equipment and techniques, and stay at home workshop, with his childrens toys and drawings placed around. 3. It was definitely different in the mountains than at school. In the mountains the alphorn gave a beautiful echo or ring as it bounced off the hills that we definitely could not experience anywhere else but here. 4. Most of the music I encountered in Switzerland was from street performers and most of that was very modern and pop culturey. I definitely regret not going to see the alphorns played in the mountains. If I could do it over again I definitely would have gone and done that instead of coming back early to do laundry. 5. Tourism plays a huge role in the identity of the alphorn both modern and historically. It was tourists that gave the alphorn its name and tourists have come from extremely far to see and support the famous and unique sound of the alphorns.

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Blog Post #4 (Dyer)

Switzerland was absolutley gorgeous. No matter where we went there was always an amazing view of a mountain range or a lake or a lake next to a mountain range. The general culture and feel of switzerland felt very similar to Germany though they came off a bit more nationalistic. The money situation in Switzerland was quite annoying. Not only do they charge more for everything, but they have to use a different form of currency too. The Einstein exhibits were very interesting. I was much more interested in the personal history of Enistein and his time as a professor because it shined more light in his personability and I already knew most of the info on his accomplishments. I would love to live in the Alps. The views, the food, and the prople all seem friendly and amazing. I would have a hard time getting used to the currency and the altitude, but I could definitely see myself living in the Alps.

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Blog Post #4: Adventures in Salzburg

1. No, both of Mozarts sons died without children. 2. I learned from the Mozart birthhouse that Mozart was in a Freemason sect. 3. The letters give a very interesting window into the personal life of Mozart, and it can be rare to have a window such as this into the life of famous people. 4. My favorite was the famous Mozart piece that we heard, though I am unable to remember what it was actually called. I liked it because it was something I knew and knew what to expect, so I could easily just sit back and enjoy listening to the music without thinking about it. 5. The crowd at the German opera was extremely prim and proper the entire time. They never talked or yawned or really made a sound and they never really leaned forward or fidgeted in their seats at all. By comparison our group looked horribly behaved at the opera. At the tourist concert the people outside our group were absolutley terrible. They were being obnoxious and making disruptive noices throughout the entire performance. Those people made our group look amazingly well behaved by comparison. I can definitely see why Mozart wanted to leave Salzburg. Mozart was such an amazing talent and unfortunately Salzburg does not seem to be too focused on the progression of music, so it is totally understandable for him to want to move somewhere where he can recieve more renown and admiration.

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Blog Post #3 (Dyer)

The main difference that I noticed between Germany and Austria is the car culture. In Germany all the cars drove very orderly and safe and seemed to overall run very efficiently, but the driving in Austria was scary and disorderly. Our bus almost T-boned someone when we first arrived in Salzburg and there were always cars honking at each other. Other than that I could not really tell any difference between Germany and Austria. I greatly enjoyed the loose schedule because it allows everyone to see as much as they can while going at a comfortable pace. While rushing I sometimes do not get to fully appreciate the things I am looking at. The dinner was fairly good and the view from the castle was beautiful, so I would definitely reccomend it for the future. I also greatly enjoyed the concert. I liked listening to the music live and think it provides a fascinating experience that everyone should have. On the other hand I found the other people at the concert to be extremely disruptive and highy annoying and think something more private would be better. Seeing Slazburg in person I can somewhat understand Mozarts eagerness to leave. The town is beautiful and interesting, but just base on the limited size of thr old town I could understand why Mozart felt he needed to leave to spread his music and become more popular.

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Blog Post #3 (Dyer)

The main difference that I noticed between Germany and Austria is the car culture. In Germany all the cars drove very orderly and safe and seemed to overall run very efficiently, but the driving in Austria was scary and disorderly. Our bus almost T-boned someone when we first arrived in Salzburg and there were always cars honking at each other. Other than that I could not really tell any difference between Germany and Austria. I greatly enjoyed the loose schedule because it allows everyone to see as much as they can while going at a comfortable pace. While rushing I sometimes do not get to fully appreciate the things I am looking at. The dinner was fairly good and the view from the castle was beautiful, so I would definitely reccomend it for the future. I also greatly enjoyed the concert. I liked listening to the music live and think it provides a fascinating experience that everyone should have. On the other hand I found the other people at the concert to be extremely disruptive and highy annoying and think something more private would be better. Seeing Slazburg in person I can somewhat understand Mozarts eagerness to leave. The town is beautiful and interesting, but just base on the limited size of thr old town I could understand why Mozart felt he needed to leave to spread his music and become more popular.

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Blog Post #3: Opera

1. Wagner was strongly against seating positions that represented status symbols. This opera house had seating positions that were very clearly representative of how much people payed for the seats and the peoples status like the balcony seats next to the stage and the box seats that were in between the two large statues in the center. Wagner was strongly against intermissions because it would break the immersive experience of the "opera", yet this opera had two 45 minute intermissions. Wagner would be very unhappy. The type of seating that Wagner would approve of would be movie theater seating. In movie theater seating there is no status symbols or preferential treatment and everyone has a clear, uninterrupted view of the screen which allows for a full immersive experience. 2. I am split between the avant-garde approach and a traditional approach because they both have characteristics that I find very appealing. I love the thought provoking interpretations that the avant-garde approach has to offer, but on the other hand I find the set designs in the traditional approach, like the models we saw in the Wagner house exhibit, to be spectacular and awe inspiring. 3. I believe that Wagner and Ludwig II had a mindset of wanting to leave the world in awe. They both seemed to have a mind for the theatrical as well as an interest in the mythological. Ludwig saw this desire and ability in Wagner to present stories, many older than time, in a awe inspiring, extremely engaging manner and wanted to support that. Wagner saw Ludwig as a huge fan and supporter of what Wagner was trying to bring to the world. It is only natural for them to become close when they, at their center, seemed to be supportive of each others dreams and life missions. 4. I was dissapointed in Wolfram's final belting of "Elizabeth" in order to snap Tannhaüser out of being lured back to Venus. In the video we watched for class that Wolfram just crushed it and I had goosebumps listening to it. In this one Wolfram was immediately drowned out from the orchestra. I thought the interpretation of slime monster Venus was very interesting. I enjoyed the depiction of Venus as a monster of pure flesh and desire as opposed to the woman in skimpy clothing.

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Blog post 2 (Dyer)

I greatly enjoyed our time in the Nürnberg area because the old town seemed very touristy and somewhat secluded from the reat of the city. The walls of old town provided a nice boundary to keep us from wandering somewhere and becoming too lost. While in Nürnberg I spent most of my free time walking around old town, looking at shops and cathedrals and just enjoying the friendly atmosphere and the beatiful scenery. Being able to see the old churches and castle walls and buildings (even though pretty much all of it was reconstructed after WW2) is an experience you cannot get in the US. While in München the most fun I had was visiting olympia park. It was extremely fun to go hiking on a nice day and enjoy the beautiful scenery. Nürnberg and Franfurt both shared the easilly accessible downtown area. From our hostels we could easilly walk around and see what the night life is like without having to worry. At München I felt the location of the hostel provided a barrier between us and going out at night because of the necessity to use the train. I understand that is not something that could necessarily be altered, but it was something that had an effect on me. Despite this difference, Nürnberg, München, and Frankfurt shared the same atmosphere of familiarity. At home walking around everyone projects that they are strangers that do not want to acknowledge your existance and would appreciate that you did the same, but here people seem far more open and willing to talk to you and be friendly with you. This is particularly impressive considering the language barrier. After the first palace we went to, of Ludvig II, I was a big fan of Ludwig II. Obviously we was a little eccentric, but he was a king who knew he wanted fairy tale castles and there is nothing wrong with that. All in all he could have been doing much more terrible things as a ruler, so I say live and let live. But after the Herrenchiemsee palace I started to lean more towards him being a little cracked. He literally tried to copy and paste the palace of Versaille. I could understand making it similar design but trying to "one-up" that palace, but no, he tries to copy the palace exactly. Which includes numerous pictures and bust of Louis XIV. Thats pretty messed up king Ludwig II. For me the nazi party rally grounds was a very interesting and enlightening experience. Yes it was a dismal experience, but it was important to get a sense of realizm about Nazi germnay and the Holocaust becuase they were very real things. Visiting Dachau just took that Nazi party rally grounds experience and multiplied it to the Nth degree. The rally grounds was depressing and powerful, but it did not hold a flame to Dachau. From the second I was there my chest was hurting and I had a knot in my throat like I was about to cry. My overall opinion about Germany and the things that happened have not changed, but after those experiences it has definitely presented a new level of realizm that I had never felt before.

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Post 2: Wagner

1. The instrument that most fascinated me was this very interesting contraction that the plack said to be a harmonica but did not resemble a modern harmonica at all. It had a piece that looked like one of the mouthpieces we designed and the back was a complex series of small, interconnecting metal pieces. I was so interested because I am still unsure how it totally works and I find that both irritating and fascinating. 2. The complex ways that the instruments were built were very interesting and intriguing as an engineer. The different ways that instruments can be made and how that would effect how the instrument's sound is a clear representation of how music and science, engineering specifically, are very intertwined. Some of the instruments were extremely ornate and intricately designed which demonstrates how the culture valued instruments and was very classist and interested in decadence and demonstrations of wealth/status. 3. I was shocked to learn what a firsthand influence Wagner's daughter was on Hitler and the Nazi movement, but my overall opinions of Wagner have not changed. I still maintain that everyone has to the right to hate or love him personally, but his music is something that should be taken, archived, and played for everyone, who want to, to here becaus it is amazing. I was not surprised by Hitler's reaction because I knew how powerful and inspirational Wagners music could be. It only makes sense for Hitler to want to use Wagner's music. 4. Honestly I did not really feel anything. It felt like a normal museum or an old house that I was looking at. I had no idea until I read this post that the large stone slab out in the garden was Wagner's grave. Looking back at it now that is somewhat amazing being at the grave of such a musical influence, but at the time I had no idea and did not really feel much of anything out of the ordinary.

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Post 1 (Keehn): Beethovenhaus

1. My expectations for the Beethoven house itself were to see many interesting artifacts about Beethoven and in the regard it definitely succeeded. I found the original painting of Beethoven and the lock of Beethoven's hair particularly interesting and unexpected. When it comes to the concert I was surprised to be listening to Beethoven on an antique piano that was made by the same person as Beethoven's own piano. I greatly enjoyed the whole concert and am happy to say the authenticity of it exceeded my excpectations. 2. While listening to the concert I found that I enjoyed listening to the songs that I have heard before more than the ones that were new to me. With the new music I had to take focuse away from the music itself to somewhat analyze and understand what I was actually hearing and thinking about whether I liked it or not. But with the Moonlight Sonata I already knew I loved it and could put all my focus on sitting back, closing my eyes and just enjoying how beatuiful it sounded on that piano. 3. I found listening to Moonlight sonata in person to be much more enjoyable than listening to a recording. While listening to the recording I am very aware that I am listening to a recording because it sounds like the music is coming from a single source and is being shot into my ears. Hearing it in person was much more soothing and all encompassing. The music just felt much more smooth and emotion provoking than the recording. I found listening to the recording of the Adagio sostenuto to be somewhat depressing, but listening to it in person on the antique piano; I was on the verge of crying. 4. I found that the pedals in the antique piano had a more significant change than the pedals in a modern piano. Especially the last pedal which sounded like it was leading a marching band. I also felt that the shifting from one pedal to another was much less smooth with this antique piano than a modern one. I was verg aware when he was shifting pedals as I listened, but I have never been able to hear in on a regular piano. Overall, the antique piano had a different sound than a modern piano. As a non-music person I do not know the terminology to describe why it is different or what is different, but this different sound of the antique piano brought the Moonlight sonata to life in a way that no other listening of it has done before. 5. It absolutely should effect how someone would play on a modern piano. If they are trying to obtain a sound similar to the original than they will have to play differently in order to achieve that. Obviously if they are not going for authenticity than they have no need to worry. If someone wants to play trombone for a Wagner opera than they will need to find a way to match the sound of the Wagner trombone or just use a Wagner trombone because the sound of these older style instruments is fundamentally different.

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Post 1 (Dyer)

I have noticed a number of cultural differences between Germany and the United States. The most obvious being the number of bikes that I see riding around along with the restriction of cars in certain parts of the city. While walking around downtown Chicago I may see a handful of people on bikes, but in Frankfurt, and Köln and Rüdesheim, there are dozens of bikes rushing around traffic and pedestrians all the time. There were also certain parts of the Frankfurt and Köln that were sparated from traffic. These spots were mainly shopping areas which encourages people to park their cars and walk to all the stores they need instead of driving to each one separately like many of us do in the US. This is a very good cultural difference because it is demonstrating that Germany, and its people, are all around more conscientious of the enviornment and the negative that come with usuing cars. Another thing that I noticed was the number of people that were willing to help despite their in ability to speak much English. While getting somewhat lost traveling the U-bahn I was forced to ask random people on the platforms for help and despite them speaking very little english they were willing to take time out of their day to assist me and help me figure out which train I needed to get back to Frankfut HBF. This kind of generosity is something I dont really see in downtown Chicago. I have definitely never seen someone be approached by a random stranger speaking another language in Chicago and that person take the time to piece together what the person needs in order to help them. This was a difference that I found very good and refreshing and somewhat restored my confidence in humanity. People in the US seem to come off as more cold and separated from everyone else as opposed to the warmer friendlier atmosphere of the German people when it came to strangers. I very much enjoyed my time in Frankfurt. Having our hostel there allowed for late night walks around the city which were a lot of fun. I of course enjoyed the lack of cars in shopping areas so I could look at things without worrying about being hit by a car. I enjoyed Köln immensely because the museums were amazing and fascinating and extremely interactive, the sports museum in particular. The Cathedral of course was an awe inspiring masterpiece that will stick in my memory as a staple of inspirational architecture and engineering. I also found a local restaurant that a few of us went to to be amazing. The food was excellent. I had pork schnitzel with a fried egg on top with roasted potatoes. The beer we had there was also extremely good. It was the Köln special type of beer that was particularly delicious. Rüdesheim was very fun and I enjoyed hiking and seeing the amazing monument. It was very crowded and touristy which I understood ahead of time, but still made walking around the town somewhat uncomfortable. I most fun I had in Rüdesheim was hiking around the woods and looking at the amazing vantage points that overlooked the Rhein. I enjoyed the wine tasting more than I expected considering I dont like wine. The first second and fourth wines were too dry for my taste, but the third wine was delicious and I probably would have bought a bottle had I known it was an option. Considering that I am not partiularly fascinated with music and musicians I found the actual tour around the Beethovenhaus kind of boring. While walking around the house I was more interested in the house itself, like ceiling heights and scortch marks over the lights, than I was the actual content of the museum. Having said that I would definitely reccomend taking future groups to the Beethovenhaus for the concert if nothing else. The concert made the time at the Beethovenhaus worth it.

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Blog Post #20: Musical Excitement

I am most looking forward to the Alphorn concert on a mountain which makes it a little scary that that event is not set in stone. I personally just love how the alphorn sounds and am very excited to listen to it. Most of my excitement stems from me being a huge Lord of the Rings fan and something about the sound of the alphorn just gives me that epic quest feeling. I can only imagine how cool it will be to listen to an alphorn in actual mountains and hopefully I will be able to enjoy that experience. 

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Listening Post #5: Alpine Syphony

1. From this article I can expect one long,continuous piece of music that is intended to depict the journey Strauss and his friends took up and back down a mountain. This symphony will include unique music to represent the moods of different parts of this journey, but all will be related to one another as to represent the journey as a whole. For example, to represent the climb back down the mountain an inversion of the walk up the mountain will be played. This will have a unique sound to depict it is a different experience, but it corresponds to the climb up the mountain very directly. This entire journey includes interesting conflicts like climbing difficulties and the arrival of the storm that should make for very interesting and beautiful music.

2. The horn player tells us to expect a very grand orchestra that involves a massive amount of musicians. This was to be Strauss’ crowning achievement. The horn player says this is where Strauss really learned to compose orchestral music. The massive amount of musicians are intended to demonstrate a very detailed and grand sense of the Alps and their beauty.

3. 

(the view from the Eagle’s Nest seemed appropriate)

4.

Nacht (Night)-0:45

Sonnenaufgang (Sunrise)-4:20

Der Anstieg (The Ascent)-6:00

Eintritt in den Wald (Entry into the Forest)-8:20

Wanderung neben dem Bache (Wandering by the Brook)-10:00

Am Wasserfall (At the Waterfall)-14:30

Erscheinung (Apparition)-15:03

Auf blumigen Wiesen (On Flowering Meadows)-15:35

Auf der Alm (On the Alpine Pasture)-16:53

Durch Dickicht und Gestrüpp auf Irrwegen (Through Thickets and Undergrowth on the Wrong Path)-19:00

Auf dem Gletscher (On the Glacier)-20:00

Gefahrvolle Augenblicke (Dangerous Moments)- 22:30

Auf dem Gipfel (On the Summit)-24:15

Vision (Vision)-29:19 

Nebel steigen auf (Mists Rise)-31:00 

Die Sonne verdüstert sich allmählich (The Sun Gradually Becomes Obscured)-33:40 

Elegie (Elegy)-36:05 

Stille vor dem Sturm (Calm Before the Storm)-38:50 

Gewitter und Sturm, Abstieg (Thunder and Tempest, Descent)-44:00 

Sonnenuntergang (Sunset)-47:05 

Ausklang (Quiet Settles)-52:30 

Nacht (Night)-55:00

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Blog Post #19: Alphorn Exerience

It was a lot of fun playing the alphorn. I was having some difficulty with buzzing my lips on the mouthpiece at first, but once I found a lip placement that was comfortable for myself it became much easier. It was very easy to see who had some instrument experience based on everyone’s playing. Many people, like myself, had difficulty playing anything that even resembles music, and the people with experience were actively playing songs. I found playing the alphorn and listening to everyone else play very fun and entertaining considering I like how the alphorn sounds.

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Blog Post #18

1. The author uses cultural, or literally finding instruments, references by talking about the existence of horns in Caribbean, African, and Indian rituals or religious practices. The author also uses textual evidence from the biblical stories, specifically Joshua, to demonstrate the history of horns. Finally, the author uses a picture of a Roman mosaic piece that depicts a man blowing a horn to show the history of horns as it pertains to the Roman era.

2. They do not play together because the music is trying to depict a scene of a peaceful pastor landscape with the horns as they watch their sheep scurry. Also, it is possible that the alphorn player was not used to playing with others, so this division is purely technical. I definitely hear that the alphorn and the strings are playing at different times in the third movement, and it seems logical that alphorn would be unaccustomed to playing with other instruments. 

According to the reading, the pitch that is out of tune is the alporn fa. He uses the strings ability to adjust the frequency of their instruments to match certain pitches and has the strings match slightly off the exact pitch to mimic the out of tune sound.

3. After Napoleon was overthrown Switzerland was thrown into turmoil. Its cantons were harshly divided by many issues, including religion, which kept them from coming together as allies. This went on until  August 17 when the governor of Bern through a large festival of Alpine traditions to help unify the people. Over 3000 people attended this festival from across western Europe.

4. The author says it is a cor anglais being echoed by an oboe mimicking the sound of the alphorn. I do not think this sounds like an alphorn. In fact, I had to listen to it twice to figure out that they were supposed to mimicking alphorns. I think alphorns sound more like a soft rumble, like hearing a storm coming from a distance, but this sound was too sharp. 

I did not recognize any alphorns or things attempting to sound like alphorns in this Wagner piece. This could be because my ears are lacking in any type of musical acuteness. 

5. I definitely think this piece has more meaning now than before. The translation of the song accompanied with Strauss’ personal experience with being in the Bavaria and experiencing the view of the Alps gives this song some depth because it came from an extremely first hand account. 

6. The reading describes the instrument used in Strauss’ Alpine Symphony to be a horn. I imagine it is an English horn though I am not sure. This piece suggests that the alpine pasture is both grand and peaceful. The dramatic sounds along with the the gentle, peaceful flute sounds hint at vastness and beauty of the Alps accompanied by a calm and peaceful nature of a pasture. 

7. I think the English horn does a better job mimicking an alphorn. It seems to match the low rumble that I recognize in alphorns better than the sharper sound of the French horn. 

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Blog Post #17: Alphorn Analysis

From what I know of the alp horn it is used exclusively by people in lederhosen on Switzerland mountain tops to announce that someone needs a Ricola. Other than that alp horns do not really come up in my average conversation so I have not really given it much thought. I believe it is basically just a large horn. 

I am extremely impressed and shocked at the amount of depth and variety of styles that the alp horns come in.  I think Ms. Burki’s collapsible carbon fiber alp horn is an extremely cool concept and am very interested in hearing how it sounds. I definitely see now that the alp horn has a variety of styles and can be played in a variety of different ways and I am interested in hearing some of these. 

1. The first video is basically what I thought all of alp horn music was. I have never heard it, that I know of, in any other context than a Ricola commercial.

2. The second video was very cool. All of the alp horns being played together sounds very grand, like if you were announcing the arrival of royalty.

3. The context and dress of the people playing is definitely more of what I would have originally thought of, but I was surprised at how well the alp horn sounded along with the other instruments. I was also impressed at how talented at playing the musician was. 

4. I was extremely impressed and shocked at Burki’s music. I was shocked to find that this music was very pleasant to listen to and I actually enjoyed it. I never would have guessed that that song had alp horn in it. 

5. Similar to the last video, I never would have guessed that that song had an alp horn in it. I would have guessed it had a trumpet, but definitely not an alp horn. I thought the music video was fun and entertaining. I am not a huge funk fan personally, but I am very impressed at the artist and her very intriguing use of the alp horn. 

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Blog Post #16: Value of Music from Concentration Camps

The works gathered from the concentration camps should absolutely be gathered and played for the sake of having a historical reference. Because it is being used as a historical reference the conditions that the modern musicians would be playing this music should be as close to authentic as possible. Survivors should be consulted and we should use instruments and conditions that closely resemble those endured at the concentration camps. Doing so would give history a much better idea what the music in these camps was actually like and what the prisoners had to do to play them. Once we have an archive of this music that is played as closely to authentic as possible then the music can be used for whatever people like and can be released into the public.

I absolutely believe there is a lot of value in playing these works in remembrance of the holocaust. Music projects a certain feeling or emotion on people, so being able to project the emotions felt during the holocaust would allow people to empathize and have a much greater understanding to what the prisoners went through emotionally.

I am extremely shocked by the second article in just how much music they expect each of the players to know before even going to the audition! I saw at least a dozen different pieces of music that were expected to know before the audition, not including the individual parts of things like Wagner’s Ring cycle. I was also shocked that orchestras put their candidates through a probationary year after they have already completed the audition process. Overall, I am just shocked at the amount of pressure and difficulty that must be put on these musicians.

I was very shocked in the first article just how much weight is put on the professors of these singing students. The author expects the professors to put the students on the right path, push those who need pushing, and break it to those who do not have what it takes to carry on. I had always figured that becoming a professional singer was difficult and competitive, but I had no idea it was that competitive. The author tries to be realistic with the reader in the fact that getting a position  right away is extremely unlikely, and I was surprised at how the author brings the concept of fate into the job-getting process. I had never really thought about how fate can play such a role in obtaining a job in any career let alone singing.

Ultimately, it sounds absolutely exhausting and terrifying to be a musician in Germany. The amount of training and memorizing and dedication that it takes to even get a foot in the door for either an instrumental musician or a singing is staggering. Also after all this time and energy is put into preparing for auditions there is still less than no guarantee that you will even get a position. Being a musician in Germany sounds like a huge gamble to me, but if it is what you are passionate about than it must be worth the risk.

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Listening Post #4: Quartet for the End of Time

1. In the first movement, the piano, clarinet, violin, and cello are all playing. This movement definitely has the flowing lines like the Encyclopedia says, but these are quiet and repetitive while little flashes of higher pitch flowing sprinkle throughout.

2. The second movement was very interesting because it had the piano, the violin, and the cello playing throughout, but the clarinet only really came up in the beginning of this movement. This movement has a very intense shift from hard, abrupt instances of each instrument playing almost like they were fighting each other, but then it shifts to a softer, much less abrupt sound. It is at this point that the clarinet stops playing and the piano softly repeats as the cello and violin play together softly and smoothly. 

3. The third movement was using just the clarinet and had interesting form. The beginning had long, stretched out notes from the clarinet that felt as if they were in anticipation of something. Then in the middle of the third movement there was an eruption of much quicker tones being played randomly almost like a dialogue of sharper notes of varying length. Then at the end it returned to the long notes from the beginning resetting the anticipation.

4. The fourth movement did not have the piano; only the cello, violin, and clarinet are playing. This movement is much more rhythmic and repetitive than the ones before it. It has little chunks of music that sound almost classical and chunks that are more new age and abstract. It is almost a collage of music being played in a fairly upbeat tune.

5. The fifth movement is just the piano and the cello. In this movement the cello is playing very stretched, almost dismal notes while the piano is providing a very repetitive background to the cello. The repetition of the piano felt almost base-like in the way it maintained a beat, but near the middle of the movement the piano slowly became louder and more pronounced to the point of dominating the cello. Then it shrank back down to be the background.

6. The sixth movement has everyone; the piano, cello, violin, and clarinet. This movement has fairly chaotic rhythm, but seems to follow a pattern of rising and falling similar to a trigonometric wave. Though an interesting thing is that when the rhythm comes to a peak one of the instruments will branch off from the others and sound more colorful. I noticed this primarily with the piano.

7. The seventh movement starts extremely similar to the fifth movement with just the cello and the piano and the very stretched playing cello and the piano providing almost a background, but then there is a shift of very fast paced music being played by all four of them. This fast pace slows into the four of them mimicking the stretched, dismal style of music that the cello and the piano were playing in the fifth movement and at the beginning of this movement. 

8. The eighth is just the violin and the piano playing. This movement is very slow and seems to flow similarly to the first movement. This long flowing tune accompanied with very high pitched notes gives the feeling of anticipation but without any comfortable resolution which is interesting and somewhat aggravating considering it is the eighth and final movement.

Movement 3 definitely seems to reflect being inspired by watching the sunrise and the birds chirping. The long, stretched out notes from the clarinet in the beginning giving the anticipation of the sun breaking over the horizon then the eruption of chatter from the birds as the clarinet plays the chaotic, high pitched chirping that has rhythmic back and fourth similar to dialogue.

The smooth pouring and movement of the artist along with the hopping between the artworks is demonstrating the smooth transition of one state of being to another as describes by Messiaen. The section on the far left with the angelic face in the top left corner is clearly depicting the angel and the rainbow coming from the angel cascading down to the world. The whites in this instances demonstrating the clouds of heaven and the greens on the bottom portraying the world. The middle section is comprised of shapes and colors is the dream transitional state that Messiaen describes. This is made clear by the non-objectivity of the work along with its use of both light colors, representing the transition from the angel and the rainbow, and the dark colors, representing the transition into the swords of fire and lava as described by Messiaen. The far right segment is the swords of fire and lava shown by the dark colors and the abundance of reds. The spattering of white throughout this section is demonstrating the stars. The artists tipping of the piece is to show the uniformity of this experience through the uniform effect of the paint sliding on all three segments. Also, as the paint slides and rolls over each other is shows the rainbows that Messiaen describes being present at both the beginning and the end. 

Clearly because Messiaen was a devout catholic Catholic this artist is demonstrating the slow painful death of Christ by the slow pouring of the white paint over the already painted canvas. The undercoat of paint representing the sins of humanity in all of their complexity and imperfection, but as Christ dies and the paint is slowly poured over every inch of the canvas the canvas is made anew by being covered by a layer of white. This is clearly representing the washing away of humanities sins at the death of Christ.

I find the history and the story of how this piece came to be extremely interesting and impressive considering the difficulties of being held in a POW camp. I find Messiaen to be an inspiration due to his passion and persistence of his passion even when faced with extreme adversity. Unfortunately, there is very little of this work itself that I find enjoyable. I find most of the music to be chaotic, lacking in any kind of rhythmic structure, and overall just difficult to listen to. This may be a result of my lack of musical experience or my specific tastes in music.