The Erlking was a fictional character that was used as the object of many German poems. This fictional creature would originally haunt forest and carry travellers to their deaths. The name originally means in Old German "Alder King".
The version of the Erlking that Johann Wolfgnag van Goethe used in his poem is a monster that preys on children. In 1815, Franz Schubert adopted the poem and turned it into a musical composition. Scubert's musical composition only used a piano and one vocalist. The musical composition has four main characters: the Narrator, the Father, the Son, and the Erkling. All four voices are don differentyl by the one vocalist in order to capture the individial character. The piano imitates in its hurried triplets (notes played together in three for one musical beat) the hoofs of a horse in order to create a sensation of fear.
The main idea of the musical composition is that the Erlking takes the Son away and therefore has him end up dead in the Father's arms. The theme of the composition is repeated huriedly and the music even gets louder in the final two stanzas of the poem. This helps create the helplessness that the Son is going through
"My father. my father and don't you see there
the Erlking's daughters in the shadows?"
"My son, my son I see it clearly;
the old willows look so gray"
During this stanza the music gets louder and louder until finally during this part of the last stanza:
"he reaches the courtyard weary and anxious:
in his arms the child was dead."
the music almost comes to an abrupt stop.The final musical parts of the composition are minor chords. Minor chords are usually used in music to create a sad feeling as well as a depressed mode.
How does Schubert's musical composition relate to other literary works that we have read in class
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
Maria - Fugue in c-minor
Assigned Reading: Fugue in c-minor
1. Definitions
A) Fugue: An imitative polyphonic composition in which a theme or themes are stated successively in all of the voices of the contrapuntal structure.
B) C-minor: refers to the key the fugue is being played in
C) Allegretto: refers to the tempo of the piece, moderatly fast and generally light
D) Clavier: any musical instrument with a keyboard, piano, harpischord, organ etc. etc.
2. Summarization
The Fugue in c-minor is one of 24 fugues and preludes in a book called the Well-Tempered Clavier. It contained one fugue or prelude in all 24 minor and major keys. It was intended to be sold as a book for people who wanted to either learn or practice their piano playing skills. The book was composed in 1722. Of all the fugues fugue in c-minor is the most popular and widely known and was an important influence on music after its publication.
3. Question
How does this piece of music connect to the work we're doing in class?
1. Definitions
A) Fugue: An imitative polyphonic composition in which a theme or themes are stated successively in all of the voices of the contrapuntal structure.
B) C-minor: refers to the key the fugue is being played in
C) Allegretto: refers to the tempo of the piece, moderatly fast and generally light
D) Clavier: any musical instrument with a keyboard, piano, harpischord, organ etc. etc.
2. Summarization
The Fugue in c-minor is one of 24 fugues and preludes in a book called the Well-Tempered Clavier. It contained one fugue or prelude in all 24 minor and major keys. It was intended to be sold as a book for people who wanted to either learn or practice their piano playing skills. The book was composed in 1722. Of all the fugues fugue in c-minor is the most popular and widely known and was an important influence on music after its publication.
3. Question
How does this piece of music connect to the work we're doing in class?
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Bahram - Billie Holiday's Lady Sings the Blues
1. foundling-a child who has been abandoned and whose parents are unknown
2. commericial-Adjective used to signify a business activity, regardless of whether that activity has been undertaken by an individual or business
Billie Holiday who originally was called Eleanora, tell the story of her life. Her parents are poor and are in the early teens when they give birth to her. She almost never would see her father, he was drafted for the army and soon after he came back he went on to be a musician who was always on tour. Her father never came and gave Billie's mother a divorce and married another woman. Her mother left her with Billie's cousin Ida, when she left to work and save up money for them to have a nice life.While living with her cousin Ida she would be beaten and would have to fight of cousin Ida's son from raping her. She got sick of it and went to work cleaning people's house. After some time her mother came back and she had saved $900 for them to live on which during that time was a nice amount of money.Living with her mother was quite nice untill she was almost raped, sent to jail, and treated horribly at a catholic institution. When she grows up she becomes a singer, singing infront of a large crowd witha thirty-four-piece band behind her.
Question:
Her mother and her worked hard to save up money to live a normal life and she ended up becoming a famous singer. If they can work so hard and make money and have a successful life should the government support single parents who have no money and jobs or should they have them work hard like Billie and her mother without support from the government?
2. commericial-Adjective used to signify a business activity, regardless of whether that activity has been undertaken by an individual or business
Billie Holiday who originally was called Eleanora, tell the story of her life. Her parents are poor and are in the early teens when they give birth to her. She almost never would see her father, he was drafted for the army and soon after he came back he went on to be a musician who was always on tour. Her father never came and gave Billie's mother a divorce and married another woman. Her mother left her with Billie's cousin Ida, when she left to work and save up money for them to have a nice life.While living with her cousin Ida she would be beaten and would have to fight of cousin Ida's son from raping her. She got sick of it and went to work cleaning people's house. After some time her mother came back and she had saved $900 for them to live on which during that time was a nice amount of money.Living with her mother was quite nice untill she was almost raped, sent to jail, and treated horribly at a catholic institution. When she grows up she becomes a singer, singing infront of a large crowd witha thirty-four-piece band behind her.
Question:
Her mother and her worked hard to save up money to live a normal life and she ended up becoming a famous singer. If they can work so hard and make money and have a successful life should the government support single parents who have no money and jobs or should they have them work hard like Billie and her mother without support from the government?
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Jatinder - X-Men
1. Mutants- People born with superpowers
Professor X -Professor Charles Xavier, a mutant telepath
Cyclops- Scott Summers, a mutant with an beam controlled by his visor and glasses
Iceman- Robert "Bobby" Drake; a mutant with ice powers
The Angel -Warren Worthington III, a mutant with wings
The Beast -Henry "Hank" McCoy, a mutant with enhanced strength and agility
Marvel Girl -Jean Grey, a mutant with telekinetic powers
Magneto- a mutant with magnetic powers
2. Professor X trains his young students that he has called X-men. They are mutants born with abilities that set them apart from normal humans. The X-men are Cyclops (Scott Summers), Beast (Hank McCoy), Iceman (Bobby Drake), and Angel (Warren Worthington III). The Xavier school for gifted students gains a new student Jean Grey who will be called Marvel Girl. Professor X built this school to train mutants to use their powers responsibility. He recognized that more and more mutants were appearing ever day and that some mutant may decide they should rule the planet, Professor X called these mutants "Evil Mutants".The first evil mutant to threaten humanity was a mutant named Magneto. He made is presence known to the world by sabotaging multiple top secret US missile tests before demanding the surrender of a military base to him. He was able to take over the military base and hold the army out with a magnetic force field. He hadn't planned on the arrival of the X-men though. Cyclops was able to breach Magneto's force field. They were able to hold Magneto off until he fled the scene.
3. What could have been the message of this comic book relating to society in that time in history?
Professor X -Professor Charles Xavier, a mutant telepath
Cyclops- Scott Summers, a mutant with an beam controlled by his visor and glasses
Iceman- Robert "Bobby" Drake; a mutant with ice powers
The Angel -Warren Worthington III, a mutant with wings
The Beast -Henry "Hank" McCoy, a mutant with enhanced strength and agility
Marvel Girl -Jean Grey, a mutant with telekinetic powers
Magneto- a mutant with magnetic powers
2. Professor X trains his young students that he has called X-men. They are mutants born with abilities that set them apart from normal humans. The X-men are Cyclops (Scott Summers), Beast (Hank McCoy), Iceman (Bobby Drake), and Angel (Warren Worthington III). The Xavier school for gifted students gains a new student Jean Grey who will be called Marvel Girl. Professor X built this school to train mutants to use their powers responsibility. He recognized that more and more mutants were appearing ever day and that some mutant may decide they should rule the planet, Professor X called these mutants "Evil Mutants".The first evil mutant to threaten humanity was a mutant named Magneto. He made is presence known to the world by sabotaging multiple top secret US missile tests before demanding the surrender of a military base to him. He was able to take over the military base and hold the army out with a magnetic force field. He hadn't planned on the arrival of the X-men though. Cyclops was able to breach Magneto's force field. They were able to hold Magneto off until he fled the scene.
3. What could have been the message of this comic book relating to society in that time in history?
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