Order Description
choose one musical composition that is not on the course listening list
and to approach your investigation of this piece in the same manner as we did in Lecture 6. The
composition must come from a Western music tradition and can be in any genre (Classical,
1
folk, rock, jazz, pop, etc.2
). In the first part of this assignment you will describe what you hear
using the technical language that you have learned in this course. How do the technical features
of your chosen piece become an emotional experience for you as a listener? You will then
research the composition and discover whatever you can about the context in which the piece
was composed. What compositional techniques were used to create this piece of music and
what might the composer have wanted to communicate? How does the context in which the
piece was written give meaning to the music and affect or change your reaction to that piece of
music? Due to the nature of this assignment, please feel free to write your essay using the first
person narrative form.
