Concert Report Reminder
Later on in the semester, you will need to submit a concert report, which accounts 12% of your grade. You need to attend a live musical performance and write a two page typed report on what you observed. The live performance needs to be a concert you normally would not attend. Most of you have probably attended pop, rock and roll, or country music concerts, but it might be likely you have never attended a classical music recital/concert or seen an opera or Broadway show live. So choose to listen to something that you are not familiar with and broaden your horizon a little. You dont have to like classical music but at least give it a try before you say write it off forever.
Please start researching and deciding which concert you would to attend as soon as possible so that you can make arrangements to attend. Here is something to help you get started.
After you go to the concert you need to keep the program or ticket stub from the concert you go to. You need to scan the program or ticket stub and submit them with your report.
The following is the detailed instruction on this FUTURE assignment. You can glance through it for now to get a brief idea of what the requirements are. You should read it carefully before you attend the concert and before you write you concert report.
Concert Report Guideline
Attend a live musical performance and write a two page typed report on what you observed.
Paragraph 1
-Identify the name, time and place of the performance.
-Describe the performing group. (Band, orchestra, opera, chorus, quartet, etc.)
Paragraph 2 and 3
Select two musical pieces from the concert, recital, opera, or musical theater performances that you attend to analyze in detail;
Using complete sentences, start each paragraph by naming the title and composer of the music then describe each musical selection by correctly using musical terms, phrases, and concepts learned in class.
Each paragraph should describe a different piece of music.
refer to the HOW TO ANALYZE A MUSICAL COMPOSITION section below
Closing Paragraph
-Include your critical observations. Let me know what you liked or didnt like and why.
1) Reports must be 2 full pages in length, typed, 1 margins, double-spaced and 12-point font.
2) A cancelled concert is not an excuse; so do not wait until the last minute! No late or incomplete reviews will be accepted. Grading will be based on the quality of writing and correct usage of concepts learned in class.
3) Reviews of unapproved concerts will not be accepted.
4) Keep the program or ticket stub from the concert you go to. Scan the program or ticket stub and submit them with your report. If there is no program available, you must attach a note to your report explaining why you do not have one.
5) Remember to bring paper and a pencil to the concert. It will be very hard to remember details after the concert ends.
6) You may turn in your report early. I will allow you to make revisions if you turn in your report two weeks or more before the deadline. If you would like to resubmit your report, include the copy with my comments with your revised report.
7) Do not plagiarize. This will result in the grade of 0.
(By midnight on the due date. I will not accept late reports. You may turn them in early.)
Concert Resources:
Check the website of all community colleges and universities. Most colleges and universities have concert performances each semester.
Check websites of churches with a strong music ministry.
http://www.msopera.org/
http://msorchestra.com/
http://www.meridiansymphonyorchestra.com/index.cfm
http://www.msorchestra.com
ONLINE PERFORMANCE:
https://www.metopera.org/season/on-demand/Links to an external site.
***This is the ONLY acceptable form of recorded performance that you can review for this class. You MUST watch a complete opera from this website, not just one or two arias from the preview section.********
Instructions on How to Watch the Online Performance:
Under High-Definition Videos, click more on the right. You can see a listing of all the recent videos. Then you can take a quick glance at each one and see which one seems interesting to you. The synopsis is available. The length of the opera might of a factor, too. All the foreign language ones have subtitles.
After you decide which one to watch and when you are ready to watch it, hit play. Then it will take you to the subscription page. Choose the free trail link and click subscribe. Then it will ask for your credit card info and such. As long as you cancel it before the due date, you wont be charged. Just remember to cancel it. If you choose to become a paid member, that is great, too.
Note: Do NOT choose the one called Audition. It is a documentary, not an opera. You can watch it for fun, however, if you are interested in the lives of opera singers.
After you watch the opera of your choice, just do a screen shot of your opera rental screen and attach it when you submit your assignment. This will take the place of the ticket stub and program.
For those of you who choose to watch an opera on the Metropolitan Opera website, here are some tips on which ones to choose:
If you like grand opera, which are operas that are considered classic and with splendid scenery and costumes, I suggest you to stick with the ABCs of the opera: Aida, La Boheme, and Carmen. If you want something that is light and easy to understand, I suggest you to choose the one called The Magic Flute by Mozart. It is originally in German but this version is shortened and sung in English as a childrens production. There are many funny ones as well: Don Pasquale, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, LElisir dAmore, and so forth. All these have subtitles and so you will know whats going on. Plus there is a good synopsis with each opera. If you need more information, just google that opera and find out more about the roles and voice types of the characters.
If there are several versions of the same opera, choose the one that says HD (high definition) because those are newer productions and the video quality is better. But either way, you wont go wrong as the Metropolitan Opera is the biggest opera house in the world and everything is top-notched.
The tenor I listen to a lot is Roberto Alagna, whom I had the privilege of watching live at the Metropolitan Opera last year. Not only does he have an absolutely gorgeous voice, he acts very well. So if you search for him in the catalog on the Metropolitan Opera website, you will not be disappointed. I personally recommend La Rondine, Roméo et Juliette (Romeo and Juliet), Carmen, and Tosca.
The soprano I will recommend is Anna Netrebko. Not only is she very beautiful with an amazing voice, she is also a stage animal, which means she acts extremely well. Her operas will not be boring at all. I have also seen her live in Los Angeles and her performances are electrifying, even for people who are not professional musicians. I personally recommend Roméo et Juliette (Romeo and Juliet), Don Pasquale, and Manon.
You MAY NOT write a review based on a performance you watch on www.youtube.com. Otherwise you will get a zero for your concert report.
Grading Rubric
Item
Points Possible
Points Earned
Basic information (title, composer, dates)
20
Ticket Stub or Program
20
Analysis of Music Selection 1 (correct use of terms learned)
60
Analysis of Music Selection 2 (correct use of terms learned)
60
Grammar and Spelling
40
HOW TO ANALYZE A MUSICAL COMPOSITION
Title of the excerpt (if the piece is part of a large work, include the name of the large work)
Full name and dates of the composer
If the selection is from a large work, such as a symphony, which movement are you discussing? In an opera, which act/scene/musical number are you discussing?
Pitch: does it have a wide or narrow range? A lot of high pitches or low pitches?
Melody (shape of the musical sound): smooth (conjunct) vs. a lot of leaps (disjunct)? Tuneful?
Rhythm (beat): duple meter? Triple meter? Quadruple meter? Same rhythm throughout the piece or different rhythms?
Tempo (speed): Same speed throughout the piece or does the tempo change? If the tempo changes, does it speed up or slow down?
Dynamics (volume of the music): loud (forte), soft (piano), contrasting, crescendo, decrescendo?
Harmony: major key (usually conveys positive emotions) or minor key (usual depicts sadness or sorrow)?
Tone color/timber (quality of sound): bright, dark, brilliant, mellow, rich, transparent?
Instrumentation: do you like the composers choice of instruments or voice types? Is the composers choice effective in conveying a certain meaning/image?
Texture (layers of sound): monophonic, polyphonic, or homophonic? Or is it a combination of two or all of these types of textures?
Music genre (type of music): program music, symphony, opera, concerto, art song, musical theatre etc.?
If the excerpt is from an opera, what kind of musical number is that (aria, duet, trio, etc. or is a choral piece)?
If it is a symphony or other instrumental piece, what form is your excerpt written in (sonata form, theme and variations, minuet and trio, rondo, ternary, binary)?
Musical style: does it reflect the stylistic characteristics of the particular time period when the composer lived?
Any other personal observation?
Please also refer to your notes for Chapter 1 if you are not sure what a musical term meansClick this to download: Download Unit1pp.pdf
DO NOT!!!!!!!!!
1. Use the whole assignment to write the biography of the composer! The focus is the MUSIC, NOT the life stories of the composer. You can include some, but the major focus MUST be the music you are analyzing.
2. If you are analyzing an opera, DO NOT use the whole assignment to describe the plot of the opera. Again, the main focus should be the music.
3. Plagiarize! Plagiarizing = zero
DO:
1. Use the terms under the HOW TO ANALYZE A MUSICAL COMPOSITION section correctly. Ask questions if you have any.
2. Use complete sentences and correct grammar.
3. Refer to the feedback I gave you for the listening journals. The concert report is graded the same way in which the listening journals are graded.
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