Category — Music

Hi everybody! I hope I am writing in the correct section.
I have to say that I can officially call myself an amateur when it comes to jazz- I have never really listened to it- ever. However, I found last nights performance to have been phenomenal. I absolutely loved it.

Besides for it being so soothing and relaxing. One of my favorite pieces was ‘Ah, Rio’ because it was upbeat, fun, and just sounded so different than anything I have heard- in some ways, I was able to paint a scenario and story in my mind.

What amazed me was how these 4 instruments came together and played those songs. For example, I never heard the Bass specifically and never knew what its importance and role it played in music but after last night, jazz wouldn’t be jazz (in my opinion) without it. While Carl Allen had his drum solo, you were able to faintly hear the Bass in the background, and when it stopped, the whole piece didn’t sound the same. It amazed me how much of a role each one of these instruments played in the show.

I also liked how the music was in a way, unpredictable. The songs I listen to have words, therefore making me know what part of the song would be next. I usually know if it is rock, slow, pop, and so on. In many of the pieces last night, I found that there was a mix in each piece- starting off slow and then getting fast and pumping… and I didn’t expect that! Anything went. At some points, when only the drums and piano were being played, I actually thought it was weird how both played a different tune or different melody that brought a different mood, but when they call came together, that was the beauty of it.
(Sorry for all my rambling…)
Lastly, the 4 men really engaged in the music and that also made it more enjoyable. For example, when 2 of the men had a solo, the other two gazed at them smiling and looking like they were enjoying the music and even when playing together, there excitement and happiness was almost tangible.
Overall, a great night with a great experience 🙂

Hi everyone! As you might have noticed, I was absent from class on Thursday. I did, however, find a piece of music that I believe is among the most beautiful I have ever heard. It may come as no surprise that my choice is a classical song written by George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) and commissioned by Great Britain’s King George II for a royal celebration in recognizing the official end of the War of Austrian Succession. It was written as part of a large work titled “Music for the Royal Fireworks” and is played during the third movement titled “La Paix: Largo alla siciliana”.

The piece itself (as performed by the St. Petersburg Radio Symphony Orchestra) lasts a mere two minutes and ten seconds, but within this time, it is clear why this composition is undoubtably one of the greatest displays of beauty. However, “beauty” as a core aspect of what it means to see life in the most appealing light surely needs defining. My current definition of beauty is as follows:

Beauty is that essence in things seen, heard, and felt that makes one feel younger and more lively that their age or impediments demand of them. Something that is beautiful is not the sole form of beauty, but instead beauty morphs in as many ways as the mind will allow and has the power to attract someone, who in turn find its way to that beautiful thing with no hesitation or concern for their surroundings. (Circumstances, however, can dictate the manner in which beauty is attended to).

This composition may be seen in many lights, but in each one there lies something remarkably beautiful and deeply moving; an upheaval of sorts of the mundane buzz of the average day’s doings. Categorically, late night studying at the library is a far cry from a royal party, but listening to Handel’s “La Paix” has showed me that music that is beautiful does not have to be questioned (infatuation aside). To make a corny comparison, this composition is somewhat like ice cream in that the reasons for its wonder do not have to be questioned; one must only sit and experience the pure joy that comes with taking in its perfection.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE6Hdw2Lp50