Concert Report Essay Example for Free

Concert Report Essay Thesis statement: â€Å"This report will simply discuss how Ludwig van Beethoven integrated old and new musical ideas into his work, thus creating an unconventional but transcendent and influential quartet, based on the String Quartet No.9 in C, Op. 59, No.3 â€Å"Razumovsky† performed on the concert.† On 22nd Nov, Shanghai Quartet, one of the world’s foremost chamber ensembles, performed two musical works. They are Ludwig van Beethoven’s String Quartet No.9 in C, Op. 59, No.3 â€Å"Razumovsky † and Antonin Dvorak’s Piano Quintet No. 2 in A, B. 155, Op.82. In this report, I will focus on discussing Beethoven’s work. 1Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic period in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential icon for all composers. His best-known compositions include 9symphonies, 5 concertos for piano, 32 piano sonatas, and 16 string quartets. 2The String Quartet No.9 in C, Op. 59, No.3 â€Å"Razumovsky† was written in around 1805-1806, when Beethoven was aged 35 and was at the height of his productivity. It is called the Razumovsky quartets because it is commissioned by a Russian count of that name, who was the Tzars ambassador in Vienna, a keen amateur violinist and a confirmed music lover. The quartet consists of the following four movements: 1. Andante con moto Allegro vivace (C major) 2. Andante con moto quasi allegretto (A minor) 3. Menuetto (Grazioso) (C major) 4. Allegro molto (C major) I will focus on discussing how Beethoven integrated old and new ideas into the second, third and final movements The second movement brings us to an unconventional territory. Beethoven tried something radical and that is an entire Russian movement. The exotic flavor of this movement is easy enough to hear in the augmented second intervals of the opening violin melody, the frequent pizzicato accompaniment of the cello in which as if it imitates a folk instrument such as guitar of harp and especially in the long passages of static harmony. Indeed, Beethoven is successful in conjuring up this  sense of geographical distance that the movement sounds very similar to the nationalist inspiration from decades later, by Romantic period composers like Dvorak or Borodin or Chaikovsky. But the extreme modulations and patient logic of the tonal return betray it back to its time and composer. While the second movement gives an unconventional feeling and goes for something new during that time, the third movement gestures in the opposite direction. During Beethoven’s middle period, he tended to avoid the Minuet and Trio format and try to use the robust Scherzo in his works; but here he returns to the somewhat-old-fashioned form, in a movement with a characteristic rhythmic motive in the opening seamlessly exchanged between instruments. As if to complete the ‘old-fashioned’ mode, the Trios uncomplicated dance character and rising ending melodies even bring us back to the world of early Haydn, who is a Classical Period composer. Everything in this quartet has been a surprise so far, and the last movement is no exception. It is led by a gentle coda to the third movement that ends on a question mark. But then, of all things, we are presented with the start of a traditional fugue, led off by the viola at a furious tempo. Again we have a sense of traveling between the new and the old. Fugues were by now an ancient, learned device; but Beethoven integrates this one into the most extrovert and public of moods as a display of evident virtuosity for the four soloists. What is more, as soon as the four entries have been completed, there are not any formal counterpoints and Beethoven explores instead the grandiose, symphonic modes, especially that flamboyant celebration of an enormous C-major space on all four instruments. All in all, Beethoven is so successful in integrating old musical ideas, coming from the Romantic or even the Classical period, and his new thoughts into this quartet. While I listened to it, it acts like a time machine, bringing us to travel between old and new. No wonder it is regarded as one the most transcendent quartet composed by Beethoven.

Mandy Camp :: Technology Email Computers Internet Essays

Mandy Camp â€Å"It saves time and it wastes it, makes life simpler and more complicated, brings us together and pushes us apart. Love it and hate it, it’s everywhere, all the time and here to stay† (Leonard 80). Is e-mailing an effective way to communicate information? The rises in the use of e-mail has both positive as well as negative aspects amongst its users. E-mail was developed in the 1960’s for scientific use. Its main purpose was to transfer information about nuclear war safely and effectively. Unlike letters sent through the mail, e-mails were almost guaranteed a safe arrival to its recipient. Soon after, e-mail became a type of technology that many people used mainly in academic institutions. Nowadays, e-mail is used among all types of people, not just scientists and academics. It is now a way of exchanging information that is used among businessmen, college students and professors, people who live fare away; almost everyone uses e-mail. Exchanging e-mail addresses rather than phone numbers is very common between two people (Michelle 2). When e-mail was first discovered, it was mainly seen as a positive aspect of transferring information, but later many negative aspects were brought up by users. About 225 million people in the world use e-mail, by either sending or receiving it (Newsweek International 80). One Positive aspect of e-mail is that it is timely. E-mail, unlike letters that are picked up by a postman, can be sent any time of the day or night. It can be sent from any computer as long as one knows the address of the recipient. E-mail is fast and effective when it comes to sending mail. When the e-mail is sent, the recipient receives the e-mail within a number of minutes. This is a huge aspect for many people because they live on a â€Å"time limit†. If it is necessary to inform someone of something important, but it is late at night, in stead of calling, one can quickly send an e-mail. Pictures, text, files or graphics can be transferred by e-mail, and the great thing is that it can be free. Another positive aspect of e-mail is that it can be free.

Born in China Essay

I was born in China, a country that has long been known for its excellence and leadership in terms of math ability and numerical problems solving. Just like any Chinese child, I was raised surrounded by numbers and even learned to count in numerical order in Chinese and English before I learned the alphabet. In 1996, my family migrated to Hong Kong where I continued with my education. It was during this educational period that my love for numbers slowly emerged. Nobody could seem to understand, not even I, why I could not sit still in the classroom and listen to the teacher as she taught our classes but then sit very still and attentively every time the subjects leaned towards the Math and Science subjects. While I was bored during the other classes and almost falling asleep in my chair, I would come to life and be the most active participant during classroom discussions that involved numbers. By the end of my secondary school education in Hong Kong, it was pretty obvious to everyone around me that I had a very good head for Math and that this unique ability should be honed and harnessed in order to help my development as a person and member of society. I was lucky enough to have been given a chance to come to the USA in order to under take my college education. This began with my attendance at the Pasadena City College for one year and then my eventual move to East Los Angeles College. My major in both colleges has consistently been Business and Accounting. This is evident in all my grade transcripts as it shows that I performed quite remarkably in the Accounting related subjects while I struggled in the others. Somebody once asked me if I thought that Accounting was unfair because some people excelled in the subject while others did not. At first I was not sure about how to answer his question but then I realized that Accounting is not an unfair thing. The problem that most people have with accounting is that they have very short attention spans. A short attention span has no place in the accounting field because this exacting numbers crunching game requires an analytical eye and tremendous patience in order to be able to properly analyze and give attention to each and every number indicated on the spreadsheet. Accounting is not for the impatient. I will admit that Accounting is a true passion for me. I can work on any accounting scenario for hours on end and not get tired of it. I guess this is why my aunt decided to hire me to work at her dental office. She asked me to come and work for her as her accountant. I was ecstatic when she offered me the job because for me, an accounting job is a dream come true. Anybody who know show crazy I am about Accounting will attest to the fact that I can spend a whole day staring at balance sheet and comparing accounting records. Actually, one of my favorite activities at my aunts office, Garfield Dental, was to work on the forms for the insurance payments, aside from working at the front desk and doing other paperwork for the office. Indeed, numbers is the greatest passion of my life. It is the one other thing that, aside from my parents, taught me the value, patience, hard work, concentration, and discipline. Numbers was the one constant in my life that I could depend upon. Accounting problems are definite and therefore the outcome will always be the same. The solutions remain constantly unchanging. Accounting and Math are passions that are not easily shared with other people. Yet those that do share that kind of passion have a higher level of maturity and sense of discipline. Truly, these are the kinds of passions that the French philosopher Dennis Diderot was referring to when he said that â€Å" only passions, great passions, can elevate the soul to great things. † Such is my passion for Accounting and such also, is the passion for learning that I shall take with me once I am admitted as a student into USC.

Auxiliary Verb Usage ESL Grammar Review

Auxiliary verbs are conjugated depending on the subject of a sentence. Here are a few examples of auxiliary verbs: Tom  has  lived in Boston for twenty years.They  didnt  come to the party last night.I  was  cooking dinner when you telephoned.What  are  you doing tomorrow afternoon? Knowing correct auxiliary verb usage is key to tense usage. Every tense takes an auxiliary form of the verb. There are three exceptions to this rule: Simple present positive: She works at a bank.Simple past positive: He bought a new TV last week.Positive imperative statements: Hurry up! There are also a number of short forms that take ONLY the auxiliary form of the verb: Yes / No answer short forms: Do you live in England? - No, I dont.Has she been to Paris? - Yes, she has. Question tags: They enjoy learning English, dont they?He wont agree with me, will he? Positive agreement / inclusion: I went to the beach last weekend. - So did I.Im working very hard at the moment. - So is she. Negative agreement / inclusion: They havent worked here long. - Neither have I.We wont be able to come next week. - Neither will I. Overview of Auxiliary Verb Usage DO / DOES Used simple present question and negative forms: What time does he get up?They dont drive to work. They take the bus. DID Used in simple past question and negative forms: When did they arrive yesterday?He didnt finish his homework last week. IS / ARE / AM Used in present continuous and for the future with going to: They are working hard at the moment.She is going to study medicine at university. WAS / WERE Past continuous: I was watching TV when you arrived.What were they doing while you were cooking dinner? HAVE / HAS Present perfect and present perfect continuous: How long have you lived here?Ive been working since seven this morning. HAD Past perfect and past perfect continuous: He had eaten by the time I arrived.She had been studying for two hours when he finally telephoned. WILL / WONT Future with will: What will the weather be like tomorrow?He wont understand. If you dont understand all of these tenses, dont worry. This overview chart shows the positive, negative and interrogative (question) forms of all the principal tenses in English with a brief description of the principal usage. The timeline tenses chart provides a handy visual reference sheet to English tenses and their relationship to the past, present  and future. Included you will find active, passive, simple and continuous forms positioned according to their occurrence in time.​ Test your Understanding of Auxiliary Verbs In each of the following  sentences,  an auxiliary verb is missing. Write the missing auxiliary verbs on a piece of paper and then  check the answers below. He _____  come  to school yesterday because he was ill.She _____ been working in the garden since two this afternoon.He _____ finished his homework by the time arrived.Im afraid I _____ be able to come to the party. I have to study.Youve visited London, _____ you?They _____ going to attend a meeting in Chicago next week.Why _____ you buy that?! Its ugly!She _____ often  go  to the movies.He _____ watching TV. Hes doing his homework at the moment.They _____ been playing tennis for two hours.I dont like country music. - Neither _____ I.They wont come to the party, _____ they?Mom _____ been working for two hours when I telephoned.I think they are fantastic! - So _____ she.What _____ they doing?Mary hasnt enjoyed herself so much for a long time. - Neither _____ I.Mike _____ go on vacation last summer. He was too busy.Hes studying Russian this semester, _____ he?I _____ just been to the bank.How long _____ you been working for this company? Answers: Auxiliary Verb Quiz He  didnt  come to school yesterday because he was ill.She  has  been working in the garden since two this afternoon.He  had  finished his homework by the time arrived.Im afraid I  wont  be able to come to the party. I have to study.Youve visited London,  havent  you?Theyre  going to attend a meeting in Chicago next week.Why  did  you buy that?! Its ugly!She  doesnt  often go to the movies.He  isnt  watching TV. Hes doing his homework at the moment.Theyve  been playing tennis for two hours.I dont like country music. - Neither  do  I.They wont come to the party,  will  they?Mom  had  been working for two hours when I telephoned.I think they are fantastic! - So  does  she.What  are  they doing?Mary hasnt enjoyed herself so much for a long time. - Neither  have  I.Mike  didnt  go on vacation last summer. He was too busy.Hes studying Russian this semester,  isnt  he?Ive  just been to the bank.How long  have  you be en working for this company?