LIVE PERFORMANCE

OPTION 1 – LIVE PERFORMANCE
For this option, students will attend a live performance. For Spring 2021, this option includes watching a video concert from Leonard Bernstein’s Young People’s Concert Series, of the student’s choice, available from the Films on Demand database. Remember, you can access this feature from the OJC Lib Guides..
INSTRUCTIONS
Choose a live performance or a recorded performance that features music from one or more style periods covered in class. The concert report should provide an account of the music and the musical style of the performance. Connect your newly acquired knowledge about the materials of music – melody, harmony, rhythm, form, timbre, dynamics, etc – to the music you heard. You may find it beneficial to take notes during the performance to include in your paper.
The paper should be at least 1,000 words in length, not counting the works cited list. The works cited should include a variety of sources, including at least one source in print. The paper and works cited list should be in MLA format.
Your paper should include an introduction and conclusion, and the body of the paper should provide detailed information about the following:
in your introduction, you want to provide basic information about the concert – who, what, where, and when
in the body of your paper, decide which works you want to discuss – these can be pieces that most closely relate to the class discussions or the ones you found most interesting
use your analytical and technical vocabulary you use in class discussions – focus on stylistic issues as best as you can
connect the music in the concert to pieces and issues discussed in class
include relevant information about the music
what stylistic period is the music from?
what is historically significant about the music?
were there surprising or unique elements in any of the pieces, or did the music stay close to what the informed listener would expect?
Naturally, this information will vary according to the type of concert you are covering. If it is a symphony orchestra, include the name the conductor and any featured soloists, and their significance and accomplishments. If it is an opera, who were the singers in the principal roles? In a chamber concert like a string quartet, list the members of the group (there will only be 4 -5 people to list).
Your paper should include the following sections:
Introduction that covers the who, what, where, and when of the performance
Body that discusses both the music presented and the performance in detail
Conclusion that wraps up the paper with your overall impression
Works Cited list that includes a variety of sources, including concert program notes, pre-concert lecture (if available), biographical sources (for composer and performers), works you consulted as part of your research, etc
Example: You have to highlight the words for them to appear
1
Heather Broussard
Dr. J
Music Appreciation 120.001
18 April 2021
Final Project: Young People’s Concert: “Overtures and Preludes”
The Young People’s Concert “Overtures and Preludes” was performed by the New York
Philharmonic, a
globally renowned
symphony orchestra, at Carnegie Hall in New York City on
January 8, 1961.
This work was a part of a series of concerts conducted by Leonard
Bernstein,
who was the Music Director at the time. Berstein’s Young People’s Concerts were coined to be
one of his greatest accomplishments and “among [his] favorite, most highly prized activities of
[his] life (“Leonard” para 1
–
2). These concerts were use
d to introduce young people to the
musical world and to familiarize them with classical works and musical terminology. The
concerts were broadcasted live on the CBS network and at one point were “considered so
important that for three glorious years CBS pr
esented them at 7:30 p.m. (prime time for
television viewing)” (“Leonard” para 6).
In the opening segment of
“Overtures and Preludes”
, Bernstein explains why he chose to
cover this topic
and
explains
what overtures and preludes are
. He says “When [he] was
a boy
first discovering music, the biggest kicks [he] got always seemed to come from overtures”
(“
Overtures and Preludes”). He goes on to explain that overtures and preludes are typically the
opening pieces for operas and are meant to get the audience rea
dy for the big performance
(“Overtures and Preludes”). The overtures and preludes performed by the New York
Philharmonic display some of the excitement that Bernstein discusses and are some of the most
popular pieces from their eras. There are four pieces
performed during the concert which include
Broussard
2
the overture to the opera
Semiramide
by Gioachino Rossini, Ludwig van Beethoven’s
Leonore
Overture No. 3
, Claude Debussy’s
Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun,
and an overture to
Bernstein’s
Candide.
In the followi
ng paragraphs, I will discuss
two of the four pieces,
Beethoven’s
Leonore Overture No. 3
and Debussy’s
Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
.
Beethoven’s piece
Leonore Overture No. 3
is the second overture played in the concert.
This overture was the fourth
and most famous overture for Beethoven’s only opera,
Fidelio
,
which was composed in the early 19
th
century
.
A surprising element about this piece is that
it
is
sometimes played before the last act of the opera versus at the beginning. The piece is
histori
cally significant not only because it was a part of Beethoven’s only opera but also because
of the impact it had on its audience. Beethoven revised his opera and the pieces in it many times
because he wanted to make sure it conveyed a strong message and th
at the audience was able to
connect with the music (Radda 1). This objective was more than accomplished and
Leonore
Overture No.3
is still popularly played centuries later. Like many overtures, this piece has both
fast and slow parts. It is structured in
sonata
–
allegro form with dramatic elements to fit the
storyline of the opera. Some of the music
al
elements used to create the dramatic effects are
changes in the dynamics throughout the music ranging from pianissimo to fortissimo and the use
of crescendos,
decrescendos, and
diminuendo
s. The piece begins with a slow tempo introduction
that has a solemn expression to it. Next, a faster tempo is played and the string instruments
present the exciting main theme which is followed by a lyrical melody played by th
e woodwinds.
The development section is dramatic and expressive to mirror the
drama
going on in the play.
Then, the most memorable part of the overture is heard from a distance
–
the trumpet call
–
which signals a significant part of the opera. The piece c
loses with a loud entrance from the
timpani and a triumphant coda (Rodda para 4).
Broussard
3
Beethoven’s overture is followed by the only prelude played in the concert,
Prelude to
the Afternoon of a Faun
by Debussy. This symphonic poem is Debussy’s most well
–
known
orchestral works. It was created during the Impressionist movement and inspired by a poem
written by symbolist writer Stephane Mallarme (“Mythical Impressions” 296). A surprising
element about this piece is that it is most often used as an introduction to
a symphony or program
versus an opera (“Overtures and Preludes
”
). The work has a delicate and relaxed rhythm and
features musical elements that evoke
feelings of dreaminess
from the audience. This feeling is
particularly showcased with the use of harps
thr
oughout the piece
. This prelude is a shorter piece
and has a loose A
–
B
–
A’ structure. It features a chromatic, twisting, lyrical melody in the first and
third sections with a more lively middle portion. The opening A section features a chromatic
melody play
ed by a solo flute. It is followed by a woodwind and horn motive with harp and
muted strings accompaniment to create a light and airy tone that aligns with the opening words
of Mallarme’s poem. The more animated B section
introduces a new melody that
featu
res a
back
and forth conversation
of melodic passages between flute and clarinet
. The liveliness of this
section is also demonstrated through the use of crescendo in solo oboe followed by a descending
contrasting theme in woodwinds. The A’ section brings t
he work to a close with the returning of
the dream
–
like melody from the first section accompanied by a distinctive timbre of cymbals
which adds a bit of variation. The melody is played at a piano level with harmonies and string
chords bringing the work to
an end (“Mythical Impressions” 297). As Berstein says in the
program, this piece is a real beauty (“Overtures and Preludes”).
It comes as no surprise that Leonard Bernstein’s Young People’s Concert series was once
broadcasted during primetime television.
Although the works he presented were often already
well
–
known, Berstein conducted and analyzed them in a way that anyone could understand and
Broussard
4
did it entertainingly. The excitement that Berstein spoke about having as a child was recaptured
in the pieces pe
rformed and exhibited through his conducting. One image that really shined is the
way his hands were precisely in sync with the bows of the violins while conducting Beethoven’s
overture (“Overtures and Preludes” 32:45
–
32:55). The pieces Bernstein and the o
utstanding
performance of the New York Philharmonic made the overtures and preludes even more
captivating than they already were.

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