Thursday, January 14, 2016

Part Two Aural Analysis- Moonlight Sonata


Moonlight Sonata is by Ludwig van Beethoven, and was completed in 1801. It is a classical piece. As for musical elements:
Melody: The first movement has a smaller range than the next two, though the third movement has the largest range out of all of them. The first and second movement are fairly conjunct. The third is more disjunct than the first two.
Pitch: The first movement is in C# Minor. The second movement is in D flat Major. The third and final movement is back in C# Minor.
Rhythm: The song is split into 3 movements. In the first movement the tempo is Adagio sostenuto, which is a slower tempo. The second movement is Allegretto, which is a fairly brisk tempo. The third and final movement is Presto agitato, which is played quickly and with excitement.
Timbre: The instruments played in this piece are the piano, the violin, the flute, and a female voice, as far as I can tell. The overall tone of the piece is dark, and somewhat mysterious.
Texture: The piece seems to be monophonic, as it has one main melody and is accompanied in the background by the violins and the occasional female voice.
Dynamics: The first movement is the softest of the three. The second movement is soft in the beginning, and then crescendos. The third movement is the loudest of the three, with many crescendos in it.


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