Performing Arts Written Commentary

Performing Arts Written Commentary In our Workshops we developed our skills Dance, Drama and Music which where all based on a certain stimulus. For Music it was a person creeping up to a house, Dance was a mental hospital, and Drama was the seven deadly sins. We combined all of these to create a good structure and a good combined piece that fulfil all our intentions. These were to have a good impact on the audience and to show our stimuli. To make our performance perfect we had to involve these three steps, Improvisation, Rehearsal, and Perform. By doing all of these we would ensure that our piece would be perfect. When improvising I had planned to make a music piece that would build the dynamics of the piece and to build tension in the audience. By using layers in the music this would set the seen in our combined piece before we had performed a movement. Then by using our workshops we started to create a piece, which would express our stimuli. By using the music to set the seen the audience almost knew what to expect and this is a useful technique as it is easier to perform with music. Dance contributed to the piece in a different way to drama, instead of using speech in dance we used gestures to express how characters were feeling this worked nicely with the rhythm of the music. Drama was combined with each of these to finish off the piece nicely, speech was

  • Word count: 1692
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Music
Access this essay

Trumpeter and Composer Miles Davis (1926-91) was a hugely influential figure in the development of jazz. He established several new trends that became distinct styles in their own right, including modal jazz, jazz-rock fusion and cool jazz.

Trumpeter and Composer Miles Davis (1926-91) was a hugely influential figure in the development of jazz. He established several new trends that became distinct styles in their own right, including modal jazz, jazz-rock fusion and cool jazz. Cool jazz was a style with revolutionary characteristics of an increased degree of complexity to include fast tempi and driving rhythms, instrumental virtuosity and improvisation based on the combination of harmonic structure and melody. Vast chord extensions became more common to include added 7th's, 9th's and even 11th's which suited the chromatic and highly decorated melodic lines that often used wide intervals and many sudden changes of direction. Cool jazz was developed in the early 1950's and was associated with an intellectual approach of its theory. In the 1950's a younger generation of jazz musicians forged this new style and Miles Davis was perhaps the most prolific and profound composer of the medium. It also became more common for black musicians to be allowed access to recording studios. The previous generation's maverick's such as Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie were

  • Word count: 1313
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Music
Access this essay

Drugs and the 60's.

Drugs and the 60's Most of the time, when thinking back to the sixties, people remember hearing about things such as sex, drugs, and rock and roll. However, what they often tend to overlook is the large emphasis "freedoms" had on the era. This does not just refer to the freedoms already possessed by every American of the time. This focuses on the youth's of America's fight to gain freedom or break away from the values and ideas left behind by the older generation. These fights were used to help push for freedoms from areas such as society's rules and values, competition, living for others first and the older generation's beliefs as a whole including the freedom to use drugs. The younger generation just wanted a chance to express their own views rather than having to constantly succumb to the values and rules left behind by the older generation. In order to find these unique and different qualities in each other and themselves, the younger generation often turned to drugs. This was another freedom which they were required to fight for since the older generation did not support drug use as a source of pleasure or creativity. This could basically be considered an outright rejection of the older society's values. Drugs were also seen as a freedom from reality. They enabled the youths to escape to a different kind of world. Because of the youths' great desire to achieve a

  • Word count: 673
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Music
Access this essay

Dance stimulus - Atalanta.

The stimulus which, I thought would be most thought provoking and appealing was Atalanta. I found the idea of characterising a dynamic, strong vivacious woman appealing due to my strong background in theatre and acting. This enabled me to perceive hidden depths of Atalanta's character, which were not evident at first sight. Therefore, I chose this stimulus because I believed that Atalanta would be an interesting and challenging character to portray through the medium of dance. Another reason why I chose this stimulus, was the use of the cloth and costume to portray "how rhythms can be created by repeating and opposing shapes" and how "certain lines indicate motion". Due to my previous experience as a rhythmic gymnast, I was able develop original and unusual movements, because I was used to using cloth and ribbons as a means for demonstrating highly complex physical movements After receiving the stimulus, I first of all researched Atalanta. Using a variety of resources such as and the Internet, I found that Atalanta derived from Greek legend, and was a strong athletic competitor, whom no man could beat at running. This was emphasised in my dance through the use of sustained running movements and the use of pauses to emphasis the importance of the poses. This also helped to reflect the stillness of the wooden sculpture. Analysis and further research led me to conclude that the

  • Word count: 2296
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Music
Access this essay

It was a very hot summer day in Deadwood.

It was a very hot summer day in Deadwood. Peter Calves was riding his horse proudly. He has shot 19 men, everybody got scared whenever he passed by. Everybody was scared because he went off killing people with no reasons at all and rifling poor bungalows to have fun. He stopped at a bar named "The black horse". As he came in, everybody turned around and there was complete silence all over the bar. "Morning" Peter said with a very sour voice. Calves didn't drink water for more than 28 hours and was indeed very thirsty. "A lemonade, please." He moaned. The waiter quickly gave the lemonade to him and turned around as quickly as possible. "Today, I am going to draw against Sean. I hope you all know who will win and who to bet on." He announced. Everybody stared at each other nervously and began talking, shouting and whispering at the same time. Calves was completely broke, the bank didn't give him money. So he decided not to pay. Sean was one of the best shooters in Deadwood, and was very suave. So everybody had decided to bet on him. They say Sean has been shooting people since five years old. Suddenly, the door opened and Sean came in. He looked at Calves smiling. "Ready for today?!" He asked smiling. "Can't wait to see the 20th tomb lying there beside all the others." Calves replied laughing. The big draw was going to be at four o'clock, and it was already half past

  • Word count: 440
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Music
Access this essay

Outline research into two types of biological rhythm.

A) Outline research into two types of biological rhythm (12 marks) There are many biological rhythms in the natural world, divided generally into four groups; ultradian, circadian, infradian, and circannual. Circadian rhythms occur once every 24 hours, an example of this being the human sleep/wake cycle and many other physiological rhythms, such as body temperature, operate to the same system. Research into this rhythm has mainly focused on the sleep/wake cycle, such as Siffre's (1972) free-running biological clock study, where he spent six months in a cave with no clock or natural light. He slept and ate whenever he wanted, with the experimenter turning his light on and off according to whether he was asleep or not. He was wired up so that his various bodily functions could be recorded. At first his sleep/wake pattern was very erratic, until it settled down to an average 25-hour day. Another circadian rhythm study was carried out by Folkhard et al (1985) where participants were removed from any natural light with an attempt to shorten their day. But it was found that participants could not adapt to less than a 23-hour cycle. Infradian rhythms occur less than once every 24 hours, for instance, hibernation in squirrels and the human menstrual cycle. Research into this rhythm has concentrated mainly on the human menstrual cycle, such as Reinberg's (1967) study of a woman who

  • Word count: 616
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Music
Access this essay

An Evaluation of the Marketing Strategy of Nestl Yorkie Chocolate Bars.

An Evaluation of the Marketing Strategy of Nestlé Yorkie Chocolate Bars Aim The aim of this piece of coursework is to evaluate the marketing policy of Nestlé to market Yorkie chocolate bars. I will conduct primary and secondary research to find out the data I need. In conclusion I will say how the marketing strategy needs to improve. The Product Nestlé is a well-established public limited company, originally Swiss formed in 1867 by Henri Nestlé, that trade all over the world. A public limited company is a company that sells stocks and shares on the stock market. Nestlé has been part of the British culture for longer than most UK companies. A sales branch first came to Britain in 1868, just a year after the company was founded. Then the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company (which merged with Nestlé in 1905) established its first UK factory. In 1901 Nestlé followed suit. They are the world's leading food company because they own brands such as Coffee Mate, Nescafé, Perrier, Buitoni, Ski yoghurts, Rowntree and Wonka. Recently they have come under fire because they have given mothers in Africa special baby milk for free. The mothers that Nestlé gave the milk to can't breastfeed and so the babies rely on the Nestlé baby milk and so the mothers have to buy more of the Nestlé baby milk. The mothers cannot afford this milk as they are very poor and many babies have

  • Word count: 4012
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Music
Access this essay

Chant To Zappa Music through the Ages

Umaar Mirza 5/1/2007 Chant To Zappa Music through the Ages Midterm I. . Monophonic a. Having a single melodic line, short and accompanied. b. In the piece Alleluia: Vidimus Stellam, monophony is constant throughout, but alternates between a soloist and a choir singing in unison. 2. Polyphonic a. Having two melodic lines together b. Polyphonic compositions include Johann Sebastian Bach's Organ Fugue in G Minor and Guillaume de Machaut's Notre Dame Mass, which is recognized as the first polyphonic treatment of the mass ordinary (or sung prayers that stay the same throughout the church year, including the Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei) by a known composer. 3. motet a. A polyphonic composition based on a sacred text and usually sung without accompaniment b. Josquin Desprez had Ave Maria...Virgo Serena 4. Gregorian chant a. A short and simple melody, divided into two parts by double bars, to which unmetrical psalms, etc., are sung or recited. It is the most ancient form of choral music. b. Most of the composers of the Gregorian Chant between 600-1300 are unknown except for Hilegard of Bingen Alleluia: Vidimus Stellam (We Have Seen His Star 5. church modes a. Scales that contain seven tones with an eight tone duplicating the first an octave higher, but with patterns of whole and half steps idifferent major and minor scales; used in medieval,

  • Word count: 2623
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Music
Access this essay

The Music of Mozart.

The Music of Mozart Caroline Bruce Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in 1756 and lived until he was 35, when he died in 1791. He was a composer of classical music, which was predominantly composed in the second half of the 18th century. Mozart was brought up in Salzburg, Austria, and wrote music for the archbishop of Salzburg. After a while, Mozart's disagreements with the archbishop became too strong and Mozart moved to Vienna and started work as a freelance composer. In Vienna he was able to concentrate on composing the music that he (and Vienna) loved, that he hadn't been able to compose in Salzburg, such as operas and concertos. But before he started working for the archbishop or travelled to Vienna, Mozart had already travelled Europe. Mozart, along with his sister and father, had travelled to various places around Europe, including Vienna, Paris, London, Munich, Brussels, Coblenz and Hague before Mozart had even reached the age of seven. He performed on the keyboard and violin, with his sister, often being paid large sums of money for his concerts. He performed in front of many important people, including the French Ambassador of the time, Count Harrach, King George III and Queen Charlotte. His most famous operas were 'Marriage of Figaro' and 'The Magic Flute', and he composed many concertos, including 27 for piano, and many others for violin and clarinet. He also

  • Word count: 546
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Music
Access this essay

A life in the day of me.

A LIFE IN THE DAY OF "ME" I have to get up quite early on a Saturday, well early for me, half nine - ridiculous. It's because I have a music lesson at half ten. The sound of that droning alarm with that repetitive beeping seems to wake you up by attempting to drive you insane. As I turn to flick that grey switch which will bring the peace and tranquillity back, the light gets me, blinding, like a thousand knives piercing my eyes over and over. My body as I twist to flick the switch moulds into a twisted archway, like an archway of vines or ivy, my arm and fingers stretch out, feeling the air. Like a snake flicking its tongue I squirm to relieve my ears of the BEEP, BEEP BEEPIN' noise. I swing my legs over the edge of my bed like an anchor being thrown over board to land a Caribbean pirate ship. The floor seems soft but hard at the same time; a sudden chill shoots up my spine as the covers sail away from my body, towards the far away land of the floor by the door. Legs and arms work together, giving me balance and leverage to lift my half asleep body from the mattress that seems so far below. I'm flying, I'm so high, no, I'm a giant, my galumphing feet carry me as they do each and every morning to the loo, where the waterworks commence and a strange feeling of relief and morning floods into my body. Now onwards, "into the breech my friends, into the breech." once again the

  • Word count: 1104
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Music
Access this essay