Music Paper

Pacific Musicworks

Tess Altiveros with Pacific Musicworks performed music by Barbara Strozzi. It is a fun song known as amor dormiglione (cupid a sleep). What I have learned has helped me a lot in enjoying the music. I have learned to appreciate this work of art because of its history and the uniqueness of how the melody is produced, and I have become a better listener. I enjoyed this virtual concert of classical music because I love how the singer is producing her voice, and this type of music is also unique.

The singer’s tone was just right; when her voice went high and low, the pitch was still perfect. Her melody brought out the charm of the performance, the succession of the different pitches was exquisite, and the second melodies consummate the first one well. Altiveros is a talented performer because her melody was excellent. The rhythm is well organized as it forms the base of all musical art. The repeating of some letters and words in the song creates the rhythm in the song. The performance notes were harmonious; this gave the performance some depth as you could feel the music.

The twelve tones are well represented in the performance as she successfully advances from one tone to the next. The major and minor scales are well differentiated by the performance when she goes high and low. The singer puts different textures to the song by using different interweaving melodic lines based on counterpoint. By imitating voices, she also gave texture to the song. The form of music is created because there is variation in the voice; repetition of the chore and contrast is achieved through non-repetition. The aspect of tempo is evident in the performance as the singer sings at different rates. Sometimes she goes fast, relatively slow, speeds up, moderates, and slow down, this shows her expressions, and she can move the audience with her as she sings; her facial language also shows expressions. The instruments also change their tempo to show mood and expression. The guitar, the one harp, and the double bass are the instruments played in the concert.

This song being performed is a secular song because it is mostly sung in the listeners’ language. There is familiarity between the instruments played and the singer’s voice because they both have the properties of sounds, for instance, volume, pitch, and duration. Instruments vibrate and transmit them into the air. When she goes high, the instruments go high as well. Voices vary from bass, soprano, alto, and tenor, and they are all different. The horns and flutes are aerophones; drums are membranophones; chordophones are guitars and violins, while cymbals and bells are idiophones. These western musical instruments offer various shades of expression and color to listeners, composers, and performers. Altiveros is the lead part of the performance as it is a large ensemble; her singing rate gives the instrumentalists a tempo to follow. A conductor must not go wrong with the singing so that the signal to the orchestra is perfect. As Altiveros poses, the instrumentalists also pose.

References

Forney, K., & Dell’Antonio, A. (2019). Enjoyment of music: Essential listening. W. W. Norton.

Pacific MusicWorks. (2020, October 10). Barbara Strozzi: Windows to the Heart.

Petty, M. A. (2020, October 13). Pacific MusicWorks Conversation.