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Concert Blog: Act 2

ACT 2: This is when the Queen comes in and orders Pamina to kill Sarastro, the said to be bad guy, but actual good guy. When the Queen leaves, Pamina is harassed by a guy who is then frightened away by Sarastro who helps Pamina. We have learned that Sarastro is actually the good guy and has given Tamino the chance to marry Pamina if he can save her from the evil Queen. Sarastro has a bass vocal timbre because it is very deep, while Pamina and the Queen definitely have a Soprano vocal type because they have very high pitched vocals. 

ACT 2: This is after the scene where an old looking woman approaches Papageno telling him she is very young and has a lover named Papageno before disappearing leaving Papageno curious. He then plays his bells and sings a song hoping for love. This woman re-appears and tells him he has to marry her or he will be alone forever, so, of course, Papageno agrees. However, once she turns into an adorable young woman and says her name is Papagena, the priests scare her and she runs away. Papageno then, in this scene, felt like he would never find love again and tries to hang himself, singing a more depressing melody. However, the three spirits show up before he does and tell him to use the magic bells, and when he uses them, Papagena, the woman from before reappears and they are both filled with happiness and love. This scene is filled with more upbeat and tense notes as he is describing how he lost his chance with romance. It keeps a relatively smooth texture and rhythm with the same notes being played by multiple woodwind instruments. When Papageno rings the bells, he plays a happy little harmony, almost like it’s his last little bit of hope to find love. When Papagena arrives they sing a harmony to the name Pa-Pa-Pa-Papagena. This was one of my favorite scenes because you can hear how happy they both are through their vocals, when they are reunited. I also love the melody they have incorporated into this section. It starts off making you feel kind of dark and sad for Papageno, but then it transitions into a more happy, loving tone, which is what everyone loves. 

 ACT 2: This is right after Pamina tries to kill herself because she believed she would never see Tamino again. They have now reunited and are overjoyed with love and happiness to see each other. They give their appreciations to the magic flute for helping keep them safe. This section is harmonizing and peaceful from the sounds of the flute. To me, I believe that it creates a calming effect to the mind through its soft sounds. Papageno responds to Tamino with a tune from his pipes. This scene starts out with a flute solo that keeps a moderate melody with its high notes. Tamino and Pamina then sing a very high-pitched duet that has kind of low dynamics. It is a very peaceful and joyful scene about them passing the trials they have endured.

ACT 2: This is the ending scene where the fairytale comes to a happy ending, with Pamina and Tamino living happily ever after together, while the evil Queen and her partners get exiled forever. They thank the Gods for bringing them together and helping them end the evil and watching over them. The Queen and her workers sing a melody about losing. The queen hits some very high-pitched notes right before being sent to the darkness forever. A choir of Sarastro’s people come out and there is one solo singer at first, who sings in an allegro tone with some trumpets in the background. The choir then starts to harmonize in the background and sing in an ensemble while Tamino and Pamina walk out holding hands. This is a great way to end the Opera with a big dramatic ending that shows that the characters are filled with happiness and peace.

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Concert Blog: Act 1 Scenes

 Act 1: In this scene the three ladies, in service of the queen, save Tamino from the serpent. The three ladies sing a song about killing the serpent and magically saving Tamino. The pitch was sharp and had a high tempo throughout this scene creating a rejoicing tone, making it seem like the words brought him back to life. This scene came after the slower introduction and picked up its pace building the intensity that is about to come.

ACT 1:  In the beginning of this scene the three ladies give Tamino a picture of the Queens daughter. It is love at first sight for Tamino, and he starts singing a poetic love song about his love for her. The three ladies introduce the Queen to Tamino for the very first time. This is the Queen singing to Tamino requesting him to save her daughter. The Queen uses a variety of dynamics hitting some very high pitches, and I would say would have a Soprano vocal timbre.

ACT 1:  This scene starts out with Tamino singing a harmonious song to Papageno about how he can’t help him with his lock around his mouth he received from the three ladies for lying about saving Tamino. Then the three ladies come in and set him free and Papageno promises to never lie again. The three ladies then give Tamino the magic flute and warned him about how magical the instrument truly is. The three ladies use a differentiating tempo and moderate dynamics while they are singing to Tamino. They tell Tamino and Papageno to save the Queens daughter, Pamina. This scene uses a harmonious melody of humming from Papageno between Tamino’s lyrics. The three ladies use soprano vocals and much higher pitches than Tamino or Papageno. There are a few woodwind instruments in this section that hit low and high notes alternating to keep the suspense up. 

ACT 1: This is the scene after Pamina first escapes and they found her. Papageno then comes in to rescue Pamina and he finds one of Sarastro’s people trying to rape Pamina. However, in this picture you can see that they are both afraid of each other and believe the devil sent one another, therefore, Sarastro’s man flees. This part is funny because Papageno has a portrait of Pamina and uses it to make sure she's the right girl by describing every little detail to her face. Papageno has a very quirky personality which is why this scene was pretty funny. Papageno tells Pamina that Tamino loves her and is on the way to save her, and they leave together. 

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Concert Report Blog - The Magic Flute

Performance date on Demand: Dec. 30, 2006 Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 

The Magic Flute was one of the Classical periods greatest composers, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s last masterpieces. It tells a fairytale like love story with many twists and turns. It begins with a hopeless prince being saved by three ladies who work for the queen. Tamino meets Papageno who is a bird catcher, and he believes Papageno is the one who saved him, when it was really the three sisters who saved him from the monster. The queen sings to Tamino begging him to save her daughter, who he is deeply in love with. Papageno and Tamino go off on this quest after receiving the magical bells and flute from the three ladies. Shortly after arriving, Papageno finds Pamina while Tamino finds out the truth about the Queen. He learns that the Queen is actually the antagonist in this story. He is then given the choice to get rid of the Queen and make Sarastro the leader, and if he succeeds, he will get to marry Pamina. Through many trials on their adventure to find love, Tamino and Papageno succeed and end up together, living happily ever after. On top of that happy ending, Papageno and Papagena find love as well, while Sarastro ends up being leader, and the Queen and her workers are sentenced to live in the darkness forever.

The Magic Flute Opera was very mysterious, yet entertaining and laughable. I really enjoyed my time getting to watch and listen to this classical opera. This was a very exciting, fun, puzzling Opera to watch. They kept me on my toes, not knowing if Tamino and Pamina would end up together, and if the Queen would get away with her evilness. Mozart was able to incorporate so many different musical elements and the fluctuation of the instruments and vocalist’s techniques into one story, that is told so beautifully and is incredible. The form of this piece is set up into two acts. The tempo of this music kept a mysterious yet exciting tone and speed to this piece. It started off slow in the introduction and gradually increased as the suspense increased. There was a wide range in the singer’s vocal timbres and a variety of different instruments involved in this piece of work, which is what I believe brings it all together and really helps the watcher/listener understand the tones and moods of this piece. There were also a few times when the scenes would change without interrupting the musical aspects, which I believed helped transition the scenes more fluently than the abrupt quiet stops from scene to scene.  Although the magic flute and bells are the main instruments used in this story, there were many woodwind instruments such as horns, trumpets and oboes, string instruments and a choir or ensemble of people singing to a melody involved in this piece. Overall, I would definitely recommend giving this Opera a watch, and wish that I could have been able to see it live. I believe that I am a perspective listener rather than a critical listener and the performers are extremely talented and I really believe I would enjoy the live production of this performance.

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Listening blog 5: Maple Leaf Rag by Joplin, Scott

Maple Leaf Rag by Scott Joplin is a fun and exciting piano piece. It was created in the late 19th century before jazz became known and is characterized as being part of the ragtime genre. This piece starts off with a very loud dynamic and relatively fast tempo. At 8 seconds this piece’s dynamics drop and it gets very quiet and then gets very loud again around 20 seconds and continues this pattern throughout the song. I believe the form of this piece is AABBACCDD. The rhythm of this piece is consistent and repeated. The instrumentation for this piece is strictly the piano and it relatively keeps the same themes to it throughout the piece. Around 2:38 the dynamic gets very soft again towards the end of the piece and then ends with a very loud dynamic and dramatic ending. I really enjoyed listening to this piece it has a very catchy rhythm and harmony to it that is hard not to enjoy. It brings a happy feeling to the listener and is very similar to a jazz piece.

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Listening blog 4: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) Piano Concerto No. 21 C major

This is a soothing classical piece by Mozart written around 1785. I believe when was younger my mom would play this to help me fall asleep at night because it would help take all the worries off my brain and allow me to be able to relax. This piece starts off with a simply peaceful melody that sounds like the instrument is a violin. It is high pitched and keeps a steady tempo. At 26 seconds the dynamic increases while also adding in more instruments. There is then a transition that adds in a dissonant harmony added in with soft strings continuing the steady pattern. The tempo is slower and gives you a chance to really hear all of the instruments being used. It then goes into an even more soothing section. This section has a loud dynamic and similar tempo as before. You can hear the variety of instrumentation in this piece by a few notes being played over in this section by different instruments such as a violin, flute and bassoon. The form of this piece has three main ideas ABC that are played three times throughout this piece. The first-time idea A is played it sounds like a violin and the second-time idea A is played it is played by a piano and keeps a steady tempo, dynamic and harmony. The piano is consistent through this section but you can also hear some woodwind instruments chiming in around 2 minutes. There is another section around 2:36 that sounds like a solo pianist that is now a more uneven rhythm that has a wider range of dynamics and tempos and then it returns back to the main themes or ideas. It ends with a little faster tempo where you can hear mainly the piano and its melody. Everything is fairly consistent throughout this entire piece and it brings a peaceful state of mind to the listener and could be used while studying or even just to bring happy calm thoughts into the mind. 

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Listening blog 3: Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Symphony No. 5: I. Allegro con brio

This exciting and suspenseful classical piece by Beethoven was written in 1808 and follows a form and rhythm of ideas A-B-C 3 times throughout the piece with a section that is similar to the main themes but has its own uniqueness. I feel like the entire piece follows the four first few main short notes by adding variety and different levels of pitch, tempo and timbre. This piece also ends with its own unique section that incorporates the main themes with more instruments and a faster tempo and variety of dynamics and timbre. The piece starts off with a slower tempo that increases throughout the entire and softer dynamic that also increases in volume as the piece goes on. Between sections A and B there is a transition section that leads into the second idea B. Idea B is slower and more relaxing then idea A. It gradually picks up its tempo and dynamics as it gets closer to idea C and this theme has a very fast tempo and high dynamics but not as high as idea A.  You can hear the variety of instrumentations used throughout this piece. I believe there are some string instruments, and many woodwind instruments such as flutes trumpets and clarinets. At 2:43 in the song the unique piece starts after the form ABC has played twice. This section is characterized with starting off with a low volume or dynamic. It is still a relatively fast tempo.  At 3:08 the dynamic increase into a very loud volume. At about 3:37 the dynamic begins to get very soft and the speed has slowed down where you can hear the softer woodwind and string instruments vividly and then the dynamic gets very loud again before it goes on to play the main themes again. You can feel the tension in the song while it is leading up to play the main themes. At the end, the orchestra is playing all the instruments in an imitation of the main theme but not quite the exact same pattern. Overall there is a lot of repetition throughout this song with the rhythm but it adds a lot of uniqueness throughout the piece as well. This is a great piece that many people have loved for centuries and will continue to love. Although this piece may bring a frantic suspenseful feeling it also can bring joy and excitement to the listeners due to being very upbeat.

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Listening Blog 2: Amazing Grace: Anonymous

Amazing Grace is a gospel piece that has been well known for centuries. It has been sung by many different performers in many different forms and harmonies. In this example of the song in the first 10 seconds, it starts off with one single instrument maybe a flute leading into multiple instruments playing while also hitting a higher and deeper dynamic before the singer begins. The singer’s vocals range from a low pitch to very high pitch throughout the piece while the instrumentation sounds like a piano playing lightly behind her vocal timbre. For example, at 31-40ish seconds the singer hits a very high pitch note that is very noticeable compared to the deeper tone she uses before. At 1:00 minute in the song the instrumentation changes from only the piano to multiple instruments playing together in harmony in the background. At 1:27 in this piece the singer hits a very high note again, however the tempo of the song has stayed consistent so far through the piece. This piece of works brings peace and relaxation to the listener, and has been used for many religious events and even moments of silence during events. At 1:51 in the song a trumpet comes into play in the background giving this section a bit of uniqueness from the rest of the piece, but is heard every now and then from here on out. So far throughout this piece it has been a vocal soloist singing the lyrics however, at 2:20 it sounds like a group of singers or ensemble begins to harmonize in the background with the main singer and instruments. Most of this piece’s lyrics are repeated throughout the song but at 2:40ish the singer uses a little deeper dynamic and not as high pitch as the previous times she has sung this section. At 2:44 the singer holds a note for longer than normal and then there is a short pause, then at 2:46 a different harmony is played. The tempo of the vocals and instruments begins to speed up, there are multiple instruments being played, and it goes back and forth from the main singer’s voice being more moderately louder and not as deep to the quire or ensemble humming, and then the singer goes back to a very high pitch note and then her and the other singers sing to a steady rhythm. Towards the end of this piece it begins to become more upbeat than in the beginning. It was kind of slow at first and once the instruments and group of singers in the background begin to become more involved the piece picks up its pace. It ends with the group of singers and a trumpet being played and a very high-pitched note from the main singer.

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Listening blog 1: Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) The Four Seasons: Concerto No. 4 in F minor, Op. 8, No. 4, Rv 297, “Winter”: I. Allegro Non Molto.

In this wonderful classical violin piece by Antonio Vivaldi that is part of The Four Seasons concerto called Winter, this piece paints a picture of a cold trembling winter where the listeners can feel the movement. This piece along with the rest of the Four Seasons pieces were written in the 17th century and have become some of Vivaldi’s most inspiring and famous pieces of work. Throughout this piece, there is a violin solo while also including an orchestra that is soft and smooth. In the first 35 seconds of the music, it brings a feeling of suspense and anxiousness to what it is leading up to. The tempo is slowly increasing and the dynamic is getting louder. The bass in this section is what keeps the beat steady and on point allowing the texture and harmonies of the orchestra to come together and build up the tension this piece brings. The cello plays the same few notes over and over in response to the bass which is what keeps the music flowing smoothly. The instrumentation then changes into a violin solo with a very fast speed or tempo that leads into a deeper pitch and slower dynamic. At 46 seconds the violin pitch gets very high and increased tempo again until it goes back to the rhythm from the beginning. You can hear that the violin is playing at a higher pitch than the orchestra throughout the entire piece and there are a few other string instruments incorporated in throughout this piece. Although this piece is representing a cold and frightening or tense winter time, it can also bring joy and peace to the listeners.

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Why did BTS (a South Korean singer group) become famous worldwide? Does the group remind you of any American pop group(s)? Is BTS original?

BTS also known as the Bangtan Boys is a boy band who has increasingly become more popular all over the world through recent years. I have only recently come to learn about them through the internet and social media which I believe is a big factor on how they have become so popular worldwide. Although they gained popularity in South Korea way before, I believe they sky rocketed in the United States after performing at the American Music awards in 2017 which is most likely how they started to gain popularity in the United States due to being here and performing on national TV. Social media has a huge impact on our society today and because this band has been able to communicate with fans and post music videos and other things related to their music, it has allowed them to gain popularity. I especially believe they appeal to the female population just as many American boy bands have in the past years also helping lead them to their success. BTS also has incorporated American artists into some of their music allowing for their music to become more known.  Their music also keeps an upbeat theme and is very similar to most American pop music which is very popular in today’s time. I have noticed that I cannot understand some of their lyrics, however because they have such good beats, different tones and incorporate multiple instruments and sounds into their music it’s hard not to like their music.

This group of singers reminds me of One Direction and the Jonas Brothers which are two American pop boy band groups, who also have a very high group of female fans. They also used social media to interact with fans and gain popularity. One Direction originated in London, United Kingdom and gained extreme popularity in the United States very similar to BTS. The Jonas Brothers are actually from the United States, however BTS gained just as much popularity as they did in the United States showing that their success internationally isn’t affected by where they are from.

 I believe that BTS is actually very similar to The Beatles who were a foreign English boy band. They played at the same theater as The Beatles almost 50 years later where many noticed a comparable resemblance of charisma to the Beatles. The Beatles incorporated pop and rock in their music while BTS has slowly drifted over the years more towards the pop side giving them their own uniqueness to becoming insanely famous and known internationally. They both adapted to the current trends of their times to gain a larger fan base all over.