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- Coolsville - Laurie Anderson Wed, 2011-06-08 14:02
- Farewell - Apocalyptica Wed, 2011-06-08 13:57
- Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 by Franz Liszt Wed, 2011-06-08 13:51
- Ride of the Valkyries - Richard Wagner Wed, 2011-06-08 13:44
- Bubblehouse - Medeski, Martin and Wood Wed, 2011-06-08 13:42
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 by Franz Liszt
Lesson 1: Sound
Listen to this track and write down every different instrument you can identify. If there's something you can hear but you don't know what it is, try to describe the sound of it. Of all the sounds in this particular track, which one do you find the most interesting?
Lesson 2: Rhythm
Listen to this track and find the pulse. What are you hearing that tells you where the pulse is? What is the tempo of the song? What is the meter of the song? How do you know that? Is there always a pulse in this track? Is the tempo constant? Is the meter constant? Are there any commonly recurring patterns in this song? Which instrument is playing them? What do you find rhythmically interesting about this track?
Lesson 3: Melody
Are there any parts of the song that seem to be without melody? What is the shape of the melody in different parts of the song? Do you hear any motifs or melodic patterns? If so, how are they changing or developing?
Lesson 4: Harmony
Are there any significant harmonic changes that stand out to you? Try to describe the emotional color that the harmony provides in different places of the song.
Instruments:
Piano
Okay... so this one's pretty easy: piano. :-)
However, note how the timbre of the piano changes when he plays something loud versus something soft. The attack sound changes rather dramatically, I think. The louder parts have almost a "thwack" to them, like a clapping sound sort of. Whereas the softer notes have a soft thud to them,
Also listen to the difference in attack sound in the higher versus lower parts of the piano. Especially the higher fast section at around 5:30.
cello, organ, horns, --oops listening to the wrong thing!
Did you notice short trill passages? Personally I prefer Sergei Rachmaninoff - (oh, and bugs bunny :)
Like Coolsville, and even Farewell, this track starts out with a "free" section, which is to say it has no pulse. This is a common technique.
It's tough to say this piece has tempo because the tempo is constantly shifting. That's one of the great things about classical music to me, is the way they play with tempo much more and using the power of rhythm to add more variety to a single piece of music.
The meter is mostly in 4 where there is a pulse, even when there isn't a pulse for that matter. But in the latter sections you have to listen for the harmony and melody to tell you where the bars are.
Things start to kick up around 4:12, the tempo is around 160bpm, but he keeps getting faster... which is great. Then he slows it way back for a second at 4:55, then kicks it up again soon and all those fast filigree notes start flying by. What a great piece.
This whole piece is a great example of using rhythm to keep you on your toes. All the pushing and pulling of the tempo and the pulse, keeps you wondering what's going to happen next.