Side Show Musical Performance Report

Introduction:

The performance being analyzed in this report is the Sideshow Musical put on by UT Dallas students that was hosted for two weekends. The performance was in the theater room on campus; a still relatively small room, but a room well suited for a theatrical presentation such as this one.

Music:

The music performed during this concert was all performed by the live band and by the performers. The repertoire of music performed during this musical was greatly varied in genre and instrumentation (of both the voices and the band). There were numbers in which almost the entire crew participated, and there were also a numerous amount of solos, each of which were primarily performed by the main characters. The pieces ranged from musical dialogue to jazz pieces, as well as slower, more classical songs typically attributed to musicals.

The fact that a live band played the instrumental parts behind the vocal performers enhanced the quality of the show as a whole. With the live band there, it felt like the performance was being performed for each audience anew, and allowed the focus to lie in the performance as a whole (instrumental music, storyline, and singers) as opposed to solely the singers and the storyline.

Performers:

Although this performance was indeed focused on the music, there were so many other aspects that contributed to the development of the performance as a whole. First, of all, many of the songs had choreography to compliment the musical number. Secondly, all of the performers had to be able to both act and sing. The very essence of this performance being a musical was that there was a storyline connecting all of the musical pieces together in a coherent manner.

The performers were also all dressed in character, helping to enhance the presentation of the musical. In this manner, the audience could generally tell the characteristics of a character based on what costume they were wearing. The performers well adhered to their characters (especially in considering the show was based on a side show of “freaks” in which nearly every character had some peculiar trait or characteristic). The performers were quite successful at staying in character, even when the spotlight wasn’t exclusively on them at the moment. Occasionally, the performers would even interact with the audience within the confines of their character, and the audience members would react accordingly, whether or not it was an expression of fear, surprise, or laughter.

Audience:

I attended this show on the second Friday night it was being performed (the 5^th out of the 6^th performances). Nevertheless, the room still sported a generally full crowd, signifying the popularity of this musical, which is surprising, as generally the size of the audience generally tends to decline over time.

Despite the fact that it was the 5^th performance, the performers still received a standing ovation at the end, signifying that the show was well received by both this audience and most likely the audiences before.

Time and Space:

As mentioned before, the performance was located in the theater room, which helped to establish a closer atmosphere between the audience and the performers, due to the small size of the room, and the close proximity of the audience to the stage itself.

I viewed the performance on a Friday night, which could also have contributed to the full audience. The fact that the performance was on a Friday night could have encouraged more students to come, as it was a way to start off their weekend.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, this performance entailed all of the characteristics of a musical plus more. There was the fact that all elements of the performance were completely live (the band, and the actors / singers). Many numbers also contained choreography. Yet, this performance was also unique, in that there was a relatively close, comfortable atmosphere established between the audience and the performers. Also, still maintaining a standing ovation this late in the series of performances helps to establish the audience support of the quality of the production.

Works Cited:

Sideshow: The Musical. UTD Theater Room, Richardson. 16 April 2010. Performance.

Early Rock Genre

The Rock subgenre I am focusing on is the classical rock genre that is noted by artists such as Elvis Presley, Pink Floyd, Aerosmith, the Rolling Stones, etc. In particular I am focusing on analyzing the musical elements of this early / classical rock and then a descriptive listening analysis of Elvis’s song Jailhouse Rock.

There are many musical elements of this early rock. First, electric guitar is a prominent instrument within the ensemble of the rock band, albeit the ensemble is usually no more than 3-6 people. Secondly, a key characteristic that differentiates rock from other genres, most notably jazz, is that rock songs provide a high emphasis on the lyrics and the singing within the composition. The singing in rock is usually more emotional and powerful than that of say the pop genre, but this is more reflective of the culture of almost a rebellious energy. Thirdly, this genre of rock music usually maintains strong, simple beats (according to the textbook, usually a four-beat cycle). This simple beat structure usually allows listeners and fans to better follow the song, and even learn and sing to the early rock songs they like. Finally, the use of technology does not pertain to early rock as much as it does to later rock, but technology is often used within rock to enhance the song through methods such as multi-track recording.

In the youtube video embedded below, you can immediately hear the electric guitar when you begin the song(0:00). Secondly, throughout the entire song you can get a feel that the singing in this song is just as important as the music (beginning at 0:07). Finally, the bass line usually helps to carry the simple, four beat structure that typically defined this early rock music. The best portion of the song to hear this four beat structure is between 0:19 and 0:29 (albeit this same “lick” is repeated throughout the song). The final element, the technological element is not that apparent in this song, aside from the electric guitar, since Elvis is literally the artist that is considered to have started the early rock genre.

Gullah People Music Culture

The music culture of the Gullah people is a strong factor of what ties them together in such a strong community. The music is a way that the Gullah people feel connected to their ancestors, spirits, their religion, etc. The music culture is highly focused on the Gullah people recognizing and accepting their past history of slavery and how that grew them as a people into the identity they have today.

The music in and of itself is heavily focused on the use of rhythmic beats through percussion. The music also is highly involved with nearly everyone participating in the music in same manner such as dancing, singing, or playing an instrument, much like the African music culture in Sierra Leone that the Gullah people link themselves to. In fact, not only is singing and dancing among both the performers and the audience important but also the spiritual aspect of the dance. The Gullah people believe spirits and ancestors are incorporated into their music, not only directing their music and dancing, but also acting as the primary audience that the music directed to. This music culture uses music as a type of a remembrance of the struggle that their ancestors had while still within the confines of slavery.

However, it is important to note that the music culture is not merely focused on performances, but is in fact of integral part of everyday life. The fact that their music is tied into so many aspects of their life, such as their religion allows their music to transcend many traditional boundaries of music, and allows the music to act as a force drawing the people together as a closer community.

Shakespeare in Song

Introduction:

The performance being analyzed in this report is the Shakespeare in Song Concert that was performed by the UT Dallas Chamber Singers on the Friday and Saturday nights at the beginning of April (April 1^st and 2^nd). The performance was performed in the Johnson Performance Hall, a relatively small performance hall located on campus.

Music:

The music performed during this concert are the songs contained in the plays of Shakespeare. According to the program notes, the repertoire performed during this concert included “authentic [original] compositions [of Shakespeare’s plays], the solo songs of Roger Quilter, and the choral arrangements of Matthew Harris” (Program Notes). Besides the chorus, there was also a conductor and a pianist. Within the chorus itself, nearly all the vocal ranges were represented and the choir was almost evenly divided male and female. The performance itself took advantage of the broad vocal range, and sought to feature different vocal groups in different songs. For instance, in the song entitled Willow, was performed only by the female singers in the group

Performers:

Although the music was indeed important during this performance, the performers were the ones who really brought this performance to life. This was evident in many ways. First, all of the performers (including the conductor and the pianist), were dressed in very Shakespearian clothing to represent the type of music they were singing. Secondly, in between the actual songs were dialogues or occasionally monologues by the choir members in which the singers utilized their acting skills. These dialogues (with the support of the program notes and slide show) served a very important purpose in setting up each song and providing the audience a context with which to appreciate each song.

The way in which the performers interacted with each other is also of note. During the choral pieces, the conductor had the attention of all of the performers within the chorus as well as the pianist, as should have been the case. However, during the solo performances the atmosphere on stage between the performers is quite different, as the only communication between the performers is between the pianist and the soloist. In the solo performances, the pianist watches the soloists mouth to determine when to start, when to speed up, when to slow down, etc.

Audience:

I viewed the concert on the first night it was performed. The room was about 80% full, probably consisting of 100-125 people. The audience helped enhance the performance through the interaction that they had with the performers. The performer-audience interaction in this performance differed from other performances. Unlike some other concerts, the performers expected the audience to clap between each set, or after the solos, or laugh during the comical dialogues. Finally, the audience responded very well at the end of the performance; a portion of the audience gave a standing ovation

Time and Space:

As mentioned before, the concert was performed in the Johnson Performance hall on a Friday and Saturday night (I viewed it on the Friday night). I think the fact that it was on campus and on a Friday and Saturday night encouraged students to come, as it was close and on nights when the following days were not school days.

However, the actual space played into the performance as well. The fact that the performance hall was a relatively smaller performance hall encouraged a greater participation between the performers and the audience as the smaller venue created a closer, more intimate atmosphere.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, this concert was not just a pure choral recital as the program title might have suggested. On the contrary, it was a full performance with the performers acting (in costume) as well as singing, featuring both solo music and choral music. The time of the concerts encouraged students to come (even though the audience wasn’t overwhelmingly students), and the performance hall encouraged a closer, more intimate interaction between the performers and the audience, and enhanced the performance as a whole.

Works Cited

Shakespeare in Song. Johnson Performance Hall, Richardson. 26 March 2010. Performance.

Opera

The song in this opera by Rosinni, has a quasi verse refrain portion to the song. The song enters into what I believe to be the chorus shortly right after it starts. Within the chorus (when it says “Quiet, hush not a sound” in the lyrics), among other places, the lead singer, Richards, will sing and then the chorus of players will enter in with him. This indicates a sense of call and response that is in the opera, although this is mostly evident in the beginning. However, the call and response is also evident in the performers. The chorus may not respond necessarily through the song, but could also respond through their actions as well.

There are also evident transition points, most notably a while after the Lord enters when the music most notably changes from the main focusing on Richards (the main singer at the beginning) of the first portion to focusing on the Lord. These transition points are called tempo di mezzo. In the main transition between Richards and the Lord, there is also a transition between the active involvement of the chorus. The chorus is not nearly as involved in the song sung by the Lord. Also, the music does not sound as jovial after the Lord begins his portion as before, which is also displayed through not as much dancing by the chorus ensemble.

Despite the fact that I have focused mostly on the singers and the performers, the orchestra also plays a vital role in the development of this play. The orchestra is what helps to lead the play forward and allow development of the play. In fact, the orchestra sets up the mood of this portion of the play, since the orchestra is all that is playing at the beginning.

Avatar Music

The music culture of the Na’vi is a distinct music culture of the indigenous people of Pandora. However, it is important to note that there is still a difference between the film score and the music of the Na’vi. At times the music is one and the same, whereas other times the music is more distinct.

The music culture of the Na’vi represents their very way of life. The music is peaceful; the music incorporates many sounds of the wildlife of Pandora. The culture of the Na’vi is one of unity with both each other and with nature. The entire world of Pandora, both the people and the wildlife, act as one community. Different aspects of the music culture represent the different aspects of their life. Wildlife sounds are often incorporated to represent the close connection with nature in their life; Chanting is often incorporated into the music to represent the communal religion of the Na’vi; Drumbeats are often incorporated to represent heartbeat of the entire world of Pandora acting as one.

On the other hand, the film score is more of a representation of the journey of Jake Sulley, the protagonist. The film score embodies his trip from encountering this new world, becoming part of the people, and then fighting the other humans trying to destroy Pandora. While at times, the film score embodies the music culture of the Na’vi, because Jake indeed did become one of the indigenous people, it also incorporates more. One of the distinct differences between the film score and the indigenous music culture is the music describing the war between the humans and the Na’vi in the latter half of the film. While this is part of the film score, it would not be considered part of the music culture of the Na’vi.

Musical Ethnography

Introduction

In this paper I seek to discuss the local music culture of jazz music in the Dallas metroplex. Since the jazz music culture, even just in Dallas, can vary so much, I sought out a very specific music culture to examine. Within the confines of the larger jazz music culture in Dallas, I sought to examine the larger jazz ensembles (usually containing anywhere from 10 – 20 people). These larger jazz ensembles are typically found in schools and universities due to the sheer size of them, yet still embody most of the ideological principles of the larger jazz music culture.

Methodology

To begin my research I first had to understand the history of the larger jazz music culture, and how the Dallas music culture evolved from the larger history of jazz. I searched through both the library’s books and online resources in order to try to understand how this particular music-culture came to be. Once I had a basic grasp on the background of the music-culture I was studying, I could then hone in on the elements that make this music-culture distinct.

After I had obtained all I could about this music culture from the library and on the web, I began to examine the music culture firsthand. In order to get a taste of this music-culture, I went to a performance of a jazz ensemble in Dallas, Lyle Mays and the UNT one o’clock lab band. After the concert, I wrapped up my research through a telephone interview with one of my friends who participates in this music culture, and was able to ask any questions I had left.

Ideas about Music

The localized Dallas jazz music culture is unique in the way that it defines music to be very individualistic and almost something that can be only truly captured live in a live performance (Although CD’s are indeed sold, most followers of this music culture would agree a CD is nothing compared to a live performance) (Katz). This inherent belief of individuality allows the bands a great amount of flexibility to make the music their own. Utilizing one of the most fundamental aspects of jazz music, improvisation, each band makes not only their music uniquely their own, but also each performance.

Many of the ideals of this present day music culture are rooted in its rich history. Most scholars trace the fundamentals of jazz all the way back to the traditions of African music (Gioia, 9). Then, to make a long history short, the melodic history of the African jazz music made its way to black Creole musicians in New Orleans, the place that has been considered the place that really drove jazz as a prominent music culture (Gioia, 36). Through the 1900s, this jazz music eventually evolved into a big band form that gave a very similar instrumentation to the music-culture I am examining (Meeder, 62). However, although the instrumentation is the same as the swing era, the ideals of this current localized music-culture have evolved much from the original ideals that mark its past.

For instance, although the actual value that this music culture places on the music itself has not changed from the past (where the music always played a prominent role within the music culture), the time and energy that the players are able to invest in their music is not nearly as much as their predecessors. This doesn’t mean they view what they do as any less important; it merely means that the ideals have changed. For example, this music culture’s ideal concerning the amount of expected performances has dwindled from having a performance every weekend, to having a performance every couple of months (Katz).

Activities Involving Music

Although each ensemble typically makes their music distinctly unique from one another, the activities of the music culture typically remain the same throughout. As mentioned before, live performances are highly valued within this music culture. The performances of this particular music culture typically occur in large performance halls, usually at the school where the ensemble is from. Although this differs from other sects of the larger music culture, many aspects of the performance remain the same. For example, The lighting is usually still dim and mood colored, which is meant to put the audience in a relaxed mood (Katz). However, in contrast to some of the predecessor jazz cultures, audience dancing is usually not involved in the performance. For the most part, the audience stays put in their chairs and shows their participation by clapping after well performed solos, or slightly moving their heads to the beat of the song (Lyle Mays Performance).

Unlike some other music cultures in the world, there is virtually no boundary or limitation on who can participate in the local jazz culture. People from nearly every race, ethnicity, and religion participate in this music culture both in the audience and the ensemble. Although, in terms of gender, the local music culture mostly contains male performers (with the exception of female vocalists), the music-culture is still open and inviting to female performers as well.

Repertoires of Music

The diversity of this music culture enables the culture to embody a wide variety of music within their repertoire. Although the repertoire of this music culture is similar enough to all fit under the general jazz musical genre, it is still vast enough to not be able fit into a specific style of jazz. Both in the concert I went to in order to observe this music-culture and my interview, I discovered that these jazz ensembles play a variety of music including latin jazz music, smooth jazz music, jazz ballads, and even swing tunes.

Despite the wide repertoire, nearly all of the pieces played by these jazz ensembles are entirely instrumental. However, occasionally a piece may ask for a vocalist, in which case a vocalist (typically female) is brought into the ensemble. Even when a vocalist is called for in the piece, it is interesting to note that more times than not she is singing in a method called scat singing, in which she imitates the sound of the instruments through nonsensical syllables, and the improvisation often associated with the music.

As mentioned before, most bands in this local music culture do not have the same time and energy as their predecessors. This change in ideology is typically reflected within the repertoire in which the difficulty of the repertoire generally reflects the amount of time an ensemble has to put into the music. Another factor contributing to the difficulty of the repertoire concerns the length of time the players have played their instruments and the talent within the group (This is why often times college jazz repertoires contain more difficult music than high school jazz ensembles).

Material Culture of Music

This local music culture also has a material culture associated with it. The material culture of this music culture begins with the actual instruments. As mentioned before, the instrumentation of this music culture is almost exactly that of ensembles during the swing era, that is “a rhythm section with bass, drums, piano or guitar, multiple trumpets, trombones, reeds, and a vocalist” (Meeder, 62). However, the material culture of this music culture embodies so much more than just the instruments.

Most of the material culture associated with this music culture is associated with the performances in some shape or form. For example, nearly every ensemble I explored within the local music culture adheres to formal or at least semi-formal dress during a performance. This material aspect of this music culture is more seen in the performers, as opposed to the audience. According to Alex Katz, the formal dress allows the performances (or at least the performers) to maintain the idea that this music culture is a classy music culture.

Secondly, although as mentioned before, live performances are valued so much within this music culture, CD’s are still sold of the ensembles. The CD’s allow people who are big fans of the music use the CD’s as a way to hear their favorite ensembles between performances, as well as give people who can’t make a live performance the opportunity to get a taste of this music culture. However, it is important to note, that other merchandise that may be associated with popular bands, such as t-shirts, posters, etc., is not apparent within this music culture (Lyle Mays Perfomance).

Conclusion

The local jazz music culture I studied in Dallas uniquely creates a localized music culture that is similar, yet distinct from the larger jazz music culture in the world. This music culture is open and inviting to people from every type of background to participate as both a performer and an audience member, and this allows the repertoire to be quite diverse. Most importantly, the heart of this music culture lies in their performances and the production as a whole, from the lighting, to the improvisation, each performance for this music culture is a unique and different experience from the performance before.

Works Cited

Gioia, Ted. The History of Jazz. New York: Oxford Press, 1998. Print.

Katz, Alex. Telephone interview. 7 Mar. 2010.

Lyle Mays and the One O'Clock Lab Band. Murchison Performing Arts Center, Denton. 25 Feb. 2010. Performance.

Meeder, Christopher. The Basics: Jazz. New York: Routledge, 2008. Print.