For my week six familiar music I chose "Black Magic" by a British group called Little Mix, "Wild Heart" by another British group called the Vamps, "Gotta Be Me" by Ross Lynch and Maia Mitchell, "I Knew You Were Trouble" and "22" both by Taylor Swift. "Black Magic" starts with the four girls singing together for an introduction. They use claps and a bass kind of instrument to hold the beat for the introduction. The next section is a solo by a girl named Perrie. She is singing at a middle range during this section but she can sing very high sometimes, she has a wide range of a singing voice. The next solo singer is a girl named Jade. She usually sings the middle range in their songs. Next, a girl named Leigh-Anne has a lead in to the chorus. The sound of the song is a kind of light hearted song and has a positive message. The girls use their magic to help a nerd to get some girls. After the chorus, the last singer in the group named Jesy has a solo. She also has a middle range voice, maybe an alto. They sing the chorus again after her solo. Around 2:34 the song has a different sound where all the background music is taken out except the percussion and claps again. A guitar is added soon after that. Around 2:50 it almost sounds a cappella but it is not because I think that I hear a light guitar instrument in there somewhere. After this section they use the percussion to transition to the next section which is the chorus again, but they change it a little bit for a little bit of variation. The very last thing the listener hears at the end of the song is one of the singers singing a cappella because there is no accompaniment behind the singer's voice. "Wild Heart" starts with a guitar playing the main melody throughout the whole song. The lead singer comes in with the first verse of the song. He has a sort of raspy quality to his voice. At :24, a guitar plays soft chords to transition to the chorus. The chorus is a little louder than the previous section. The guitar and drums are accompaniment for the singers. At :52, a guitar is used to transition to the next section which is another verse. The percussion is used throughout the whole song to keep the tempo steady and upbeat. Around 1:56, the backup singer comes in with a little section of the song. Although he can sing relatively high, around 2:04, the listener can tell that the backup singer has a sort of strained sound to his voice from his solo. At 2:09 the singers sing a cappella while they are clapping to keep the tempo steady or the same. The guitar comes in again around 2:15. Then the drums come in joining the guitar at 2:23. The chorus is repeated again. After the singer sings the last verse, a guitar chord is played and the song is over.
"Black Magic" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkElfR_NPBI
"Wild Heart" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aPxHpcP66s
"Gotta Be Me" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WU2QMdYnUfY
"I Knew You Were Trouble" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNoKguSdy4Y
"22" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgFeZr5ptV8
For my week six unfamiliar music I typed in classical music on YouTube and a fifteen minute song came up titled "Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major, K. 331: I. Andante grazioso" by Dubravka Tomšič. The beginning of this song is simple and sounds familiar to something I have heard before, but I have never heard this song before. The simple piano melody is repeated many times in the beginning of the song. A new lighthearted melody is played after the first melody is repeated twice. Then the first melody is played again accompanied by lower chords. Another quicker section is played, using some chromatics. The tempo is sped up in the next section. Then, a right hand melody is played accompanied by left hand chords. This song is pretty. A section is played with one note played over and over as other notes are being played around the note being repeated. After a pause, a faster tempo is played with a right hand melody again with the left hand accompanying the melody. The melody is at a quick pace and the right hand moves quickly playing fast notes. Grace notes are added to the melody to make it sound more pretty and full. Trills and grace notes are both used a lot in this piece to enhance the sound. A different sound is played at 4:10. The same melody is played by both hands, one octave higher and the other an octave below the other one. This part almost has a minor sound to it. To transition to the next section, staccato notes are played in the bass clef. The next part sounds similar to the part before. Next, the first section of the group is repeated. Around 5:19 a pretty melody is played on the treble clef. The left hand accompanies the melody with the same note being played at equal time intervals. The pretty melody is played again this time accompanied by left hand chords instead of a single note being played over and over. I really enjoy this melody, it is simple and pretty at the same time. It is calming to listen to. The next section sounds a little different than the previous section. Some chromatics are used again. Staccato notes are played and then a repeated high note. A chromatic is used to run smoothly from one measure to the next measure. Bass clef chords are used to accompany the right hand melody. Trills are used again to make the song more pretty. A high note is a reoccurring motif throughout the entire song. As are trills and chromatics. A dissonance is played followed by a consonance or a resolution. The next section is much faster and more involved. The tempo is picking up speed as this part is being played. Scales are used to move the song along. The song sounds much more busy than the previous sections. It is almost a relief to have some variation in the tempos. There were more slow sections than the last fast one. After the piano song is over, a trumpet song is next. The song is introduced by a regal sound of triads with the different parts of the trumpets. The percussion accompanies the trumpets. Then, the French horns play the melody accompanied by the percussion. Then the trumpets take the same melody very grand sounding. The percussion are used to emphasize different beats. The woodwinds take the melody next accompanied by trombones and other low brass and the percussion. Then the bells play accompany with the other percussion while the trumpets play the melody again. The brass plays another triad from the lowest note piling on higher notes. The trumpets play really high notes accompanied by the percussion. The French horns have a beautiful line through the trumpets melody and come through very nicely. The ascending triad is used again with percussion accompanying.
"Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major, K. 331: I. Andante grazioso" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpS51wFRmaM
Hello, I think you did an excellent job articulating your thoughts about the music you shared. I thought when you were analyzing Perrie's voice that it was a very accurate statement when you said, "She is singing at a middle range during this section but she can sing very high sometimes, she has a wide range of a singing voice." I also fully agree that the song had an overall positive vibe to it! Thank you for sharing and I hope I was able to help reinforce the great points you made.
ReplyDeleteHi Joanna! Black Magic is not my favorite song by Little Mix, Salute is my favorite by them, but I agree with what you say about the song. Perrie does have a wide range of notes that she can sing. I actually like their music video for Black Magic. Your familiar music is very different! I like all of it, as you know, but my favorite out of your list is Gotta Be Me. That, also, has a fun music video. As for you unfamiliar music, I also think that it sounds familiar, but I can't place it. Wow! I didn't expect that second part of the piece. I liked that a little better than the beginning. You found a very interesting piece to write about; rarely have I come across songs that switch in instrumentation in the song, it almost feels like a different song, but maybe its just a different movement. As different as it is, I kind of like it because it creates diversity and brings interest to the song. The second part seems like it would be fun to play! I really like the melody that the French horns have that the trumpets repeat later. I hear a lot of a snare drum that is keeping the beat and keeping the song moving. I also hear cymbals and woodwinds later, that go back and forth with the brass at about 12:33. At 12:57, the song changes a little, but goes back to the original melody with the bells as "decorations." A little after 13:10, I love the French horns in the background. This really is an exceptional piece, very happy and triumphant. I love the ending with the brass and especially the French horns in the front of the sound. Thank you for sharing!(:
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