MUSIC APPRECIATION
3
MusicAppreciation
Appalachianspring is an outstanding American orchestra tune composed by AaronCopland. This piece reflects on American sound in a variety of ways.Foremost, I noted that when the musical begins, there is use of restsinstead of having a beginning that it uninterrupted or continuous.This indicates the use of a melody that is open and allows freedom. This basically gives an implication of freedom which is a key themein the American Sound.
The language of the piece is consistent with most of it synthesizedinto one common beat. There is evidence of American Sound in terms ofrhythm with high pitch, sharp accents and regular incisive beats.
Navaja Nation American Ribbon Dance is the music type and renditionthat I liked best. I like the way the song is done because the chorusand leader of the song take turns in reciting the verses. Theperformance too is done in native languages thereby bringing punchand diversity into the performance. There is also a wider number ofinstruments ranging from drums to flutes which exhibits the amount oftexture and depth of music.
Thereis wide repetition with the lead singer usually starting each songwith an extremely high note. The chorus then joins in thereby singingthe whole melody together. The rhythm then descends slowly butgradually. This proved interesting in that the songs ranged invariation from very short versions to extremely long renditionsconsisting of no repetitions at all.
Thecultural aspect of this rendition is that the attire of the dancersstood out as a common form of their culture. The use of buckskins wasquite evident with indication of distinctive headgear and tunics. There was also distinctive wearing of feather dresses embedded withnative bead work which demonstrates native Navaja culture.