Beethoven Concert Symphony

The dates of the performances are not known because this is a review of an E-concert recording. I will begin with the piece that was personally named by Ludwig Van Beethoven, Pastorale Pastorale is a five movement symphony, the only one with five movements that Beethoven wrote. Each movement is individually titled although Beethoven noted that the names were merely suggestions and were not to be taken literally (Classicalmusiceducation. om). The music does however seem to match up beautifully with the titles. The first movement is titled; Awakening of Cheerful Feelings on Arriving in the Country, Allegro ma non troppo and begins with an opening drone. The piece has a very quick, but somehow leisurely pace that repeats itself in a typical sonata form. Themes emerge, but do not seem to be in conflict as in other symphonies, there is a lack of noticeable tension. Imagine a forest, with the sounds of nature in perfect harmony, the winds rustling through the trees and birds chirping and s inging. The movement concludes with a coda comprised of a powerful increase in volume and emphasis with a return to the opening theme as basses Join in. The second movement is titled; Scene by the Brook, Andante molto mosso and continues the calm and relaxed mood set in the first movement. This movement seems to be in variation form. A gentle melody develops and the music seems to quicken. A completely new tune is introduced by a bassoon that is repeated several times. The themes are passed from woodwinds to strings and back to the full orchestra several times. Woodwinds seem to represent bird calls throughout the movement further adding linkage to the title. The end is marked by a flute and clarinet in a virtual bird conversation. This appears to be a cadenza before the ompletion of the warm and rich movement. The third movement is titled; Merry Gathering of Countryfolk, Allegro, This movement is a classic scherzo in triple meter. The opening theme is conducted by the entire orchestra. This movement is in great contrast to the first two, much faster and more powerful. The scherzo gives way toa trio that is quite energetic. The woodwinds are splendid in their representations ot birds again . The Scherzo seems to repeat in a a compressed fashion. The movement ends with a strong cadence that ends sharply and shifts to the next movement. The fourth movement is known as; Thunderstorm allegro. The bass is deep and vibrant, the woodwinds pierce the air, and the entire orchestra create a powerful stormy atmosphere. The rise and falls of this piece are dramatic and enhanced by the strings piercing anxiety. The sounds seem to shake the environment, rhythm is hard to detect, everything is crashing and disjointed, much like a real storm. Suddenly there is calm as if the storm has dissipated and the beautiful country side has reappeared. The fifth and final movement is called; Shepherds song, Glad and Grateful after the Storm Alegrettd. The main theme is introduced by clarinets, horns and violins. The main theme is repeated several times with variations as the woodwinds are intermixed. The entire orchestra Joins in an extended transition as the opening materials are reintroduced. There is an extended coda and the main theme is varied. There does not seem to be a climax in the ending, Just a final strong cadence and a magnificent sense of completion that is enlightening. The five movements of Beethovens Symphony No. 6 Pastorale draw listeners in with a quick, but leisurely tempo and rich developed movements. The symphony seemingly flows and fits the titles beautifully. It is easy to paint a picture ofa noble ountryside, nature, and all the activities it entails. Beethovens Piano Concerto No. 5 Emperor is a three part traditional concerto, an Allegro, Adagio, and the Rondo. This concerto was named Emperor because of the powerful themes and heroic note of the composition (wrww. all-about-beethoven. com/ concert05. html). The opening of the concerto brings a main theme introduced by a solo piano with the full orchestra providing a dramatic presence of several chords. The piano flourishes grow in length until reaching a cadenza after the third time. The full orchestra Joins in and carries the theme into the full exposition. The theme is bold with a pleasant interjection of a second subject that seems to tiptoe through the movement. The orchestra stays in the tonic key as the piano modulates and reaches a wide variety of tones as the scales are worked. The development of the movement effectively flips the lead. The orchestra now leads and the piano accompanies. The main theme rhythm is reinforced by a powerful bassoon. The coda is lead by horns and Joined by the rest of the orchestra to a thrilling close. The second movement is a slow movement and begins quietly with a simple main theme presented by strings. I felt like I was in church. The melody of the movement makes it seem simple but it still has many variations within. The original theme is maintained within the development in a very refined and deliberate way. This movement evokes clarity and relaxation. The piano builds toa crescendo and backs away as if were weeping. The piano is seems to fade away as a low woodwind plays long notes and sustains the theme. A very low tone on the piano and woods is held for long periods and then the piano dashes out vibrantly and the orchestra Joins in a spirited conclusion of the movement. The third movement is a classic rondo that seems to begin without a distinct break rom the second. The piano again traverses the scales dramatically and is accompanied by the orchestra. The drums fade as the piano solo fades out. With the pause, the piano Jumps aggressively back into the chromatic scales which are a foundation of the themes throughout the concerto. The orchestra is along for the ride toa rapid and powerful finish. The Pastorale symphony and Piano Concerto Emperor present dynamic representations of nineteenth century music which represented more direct and unrestrained emotions (Strayer 209). Both pieces are energetic and lead the listener through a winding path of emotion.

Reason, Faith and Logos Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Reason, Faith and Logos - Essay Example Introduction Foundational to spiritual and philosophical investigations are the notions of reason and faith. Adherents to faith argue that true recognition of god or the divine cannot be grasped through the implementation of modern notions of reason. These views are contrasted with the perspective of humanist philosophers who advance notions of reason and science as necessary foundations of knowledge. In The Gay Science section 125 Nietzsche proclaims that God is dead – adding that we have killed him. Bearing in mind the long history of philosophical reflection on the interrelation of reason and faith, this essay considers whether religious faith has anything very significant to fear, or to gain, from the arguments of philosophers. Analysis There exists considerable exploration into concerns specifically related to the interaction of faith and reason, with many philosophers and theologians contending that faith is not necessarily removed from reason. Indeed, religious theologi ans and philosophers to justify religious belief have used both of these concepts. Some contentious have argued that when reason is properly implemented it affirms faith; in this sense reason and faith implement essentially the same methodological means of grasping reality or the divine (Wolterstoff 1998). Still, other perspectives that are less stringent than these understandings indicate that while reason and faith adopt different processes of understanding the world, the use of reason will never be able to contradict faith, as faith is the ‘true’ grasp of this divine order (Wolterstoff 1998). However, other thinkers have argued that the very existence of a notion of ‘faith’ necessitates that it be in-direct contention with notions of reason (Alston 1998). Essentially, this argument considers that there would be no use for a faith concept if faith truly aligned itself with reason. Understandably there is a significant history of thought devoted to the not ions of reason and faith and their interaction. One of the earliest recorded such philosophical considerations can be attributed to Greek antiquity. This period of philosophy, known as the classic period, witnessed an explosion of intellectual growth, as a variety of thinkers wrote and debated questions that ran to the essence of the universe and humanity’s place within it. While Judaic traditions were developed during this period, to a large degree their focus was on human existence; conversely, the Greek’s considered notions of faith in regards to larger cosmological concerns (Melchert 2002). To a degree it appears that two separate traditions of thought developed in Greek society, with one embracing religious beliefs and the other more philosophically based notions of reason (Melchert 2002). Still, these Greek belief patterns were not entirely exclusive. Some theorists contend that faith and reason interacted in Greek society through the mythmaking system that devel oped (Melchert 2002). In these regards, Greek gods emerged that also embodied some civic virtues. These virtues would then be dispersed down to daily life, as individuals would attempt to incorporate them into their value system and regular interactions. It was only later that

Cost Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Cost Management - Essay Example Using learning lessons from General Electric, and through referencing personal experiences with cost management, learning associated with cost management and future projections about competent business planning can be developed. It is necessary to understand the demand environment and operational costs in order to successfully meet budget guidelines and secure effective cost management. Main Issues Mattel company did not fully understand its demand environment, thus the business was making decisions, strategically for long-term financial gain, that would not be sustained according to models of product life cycle. The product life cycle model recognizes the gains associated with new product launch and then follows the viability of products throughout the time period where product would be accepted by consumer markets. The life cycle model recognizes that products will eventually reach a maturity stage where new technologies or innovations begin to make demand volumes obsolete, thus th e business must be equipped to launch new products to offset any losses that occur. Dooley (2005) offers that it is extremely difficult to predict whether a product will have a long and profitable life cycle or whether the product, due to competition or even changing social and lifestyle needs, will have a long period where profit is sustainable. Mattel acquired a software company, Learning Co., as a means of diversifying its product portfolio and thus offering customers more selection of product and to ensure the business sustained its quality brand in the minds of buyers. Some of the main software titles were Carmen Sandiego and other relevant software characters that were associated with lifestyle and child values. Mattel believed that this decision would provide software titles with significantly-long product life cycles, thus offering more profitability through sales volumes. Soon after acquisition, Mattel realized that the decision to utilize these particular software names wa s not leading to the profit expected, thus leading to higher operational costs without sales volumes to sustain projections. It was assumed that the Carmen Sandiego, and other relevant brands, would have a much longer growth period in the life cycle than consumers actually favored. The end result: Mattel was left with very high operational costs, such as inventory and supply chain, which left the business with little options but to divest some of its business holdings. General Electric, on the other hand, understands the importance of not only diversifying its portfolio of products, but to create systems and feedback mechanisms that recognize the majority of costs during the planning process. Mattel was looking too closely at the consumer environment without realizing that some products would ultimately reach the maturity stage long before projections suspected. What did this indicate? It suggested that Mattel was not proactive in creating a well diversified product line, the firm d id not understand fully what was driving consumer demand ratios, and that Mattel had significant failures associated with manufacture and related operational costs. Mattel, in its proverbial effort to put all of its eggs in one software basket, did not create a supply chain methodology that would sustain unique product innovation and growth