LJ: Stravinsky- The Rite of Spring Part One

Context: Part One of Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring" was written in 1913. It is meant to depict a scene in which an old woman tells of the future and young girls begin to dance a sacred dance, then split into two groups and commence a ritual. Then village elders come, and a passionate dance ensues in which everyone becomes one with the earth.
Melody: The melody begins very legato, as all of the notes are mainly slurred together.
Pitch: The pitch is mostly conjunct, with not very many leaps, but the range is both wide and not so much, as it mainly stays within the staff.
Structure: This is only Part One of "The Rite of Spring", though it still has many different parts. For example, at 1:18, a new section is introduced as the tone of the piece changes. At 2:55, everything slows down and gets quiet again, going back to what the original section was like. A new section is at 3:32, when everything is staccato. A new section is introduced at 6:42, after the crescendo.
Timbre: In the beginning, there is a clarinet and a flute. There are also trumpets, a timpani, oboes, tubas, bass clarinets, bassoons, trombones, violins, and violas.
Dynamics: The piece is very piano at the beginning. At 1:18, the dynamic is forte, and then goes back to piano before settling at a mezzo-forte. Then, at 2:37 the dynamic is more forte. Again at 2:55, the dynamic is piano before going back to forte with the new section at 3:32. From 6:18-6:41, there is a very large crescendo.
Texture: The piece is polyrhythmic, and the tempo is legato at the beginning. In the section at 1:18, more parts are added, and everything picks up the pace to more of an allegro feel before slowing down again at 1:50. At 2:37, even more parts are added and the rhythms clash together, making everything seem frantic and squishing together. At 3:32, everything gets very staccato. This part is more homorhythmic, with the same rhythm for many of the parts, but eventually goes back to being polyrhythmic.

LJ: Ottorino Resphigi

Ottorino Resphigi was a composer influenced by the Impressionist Era. He is Italian, and remained neutral during the rise of Mussolini. He studied in Russia and Brazil. Ottorino also composed ballets, operas, vocal/choral pieces, orchestral, and chamber music.

Context: Written in 1916, Fountains of Rome was meant to depict a certain scene to an audience. It is a symphonic poem. The four major sections are supposed to depict different scenes different fountains in Rome. One is at dawn, one is in the morning, one is at noon, and one is at sunset.
Melody: The melody is very conjunct at the beginning, as it moves mostly stepwise.
Pitch: The range of pitch is very limited within the first section up until 5:34, when instead of staying within the staff bars and an octave, many jumps and leaps are made.
Structure: A new section of the piece begins at 5:34, and is very different than the previous one before it. A new section also begins at 6:06, though does not bear much resemblance to the other two sections. A new section begins at 7:49, as well, with a darker and more sinister tone than the others. A new section starts at 10:34 with the clarinet introducing the other parts, and it is more soft than the previous section.
Timbre: In the beginning, all that is playing sounds like mostly a clarinet, flute, and possibly a violin. In the section beginning at 5:34, it is primarily aerophones, with flutes and brass. Then at 6:06, it switches back to flute along with violin, viola, and bass, along with some aerophones like trumpet as well. The tone in the section beginning at 7:49 takes on a much darker tone than the other two.
Dynamics: The dynamics are fairly soft in the beginning, then when the new section is introduced at 5:34, the piece goes from a piano to a forte rather abruptly. The chordophones crescendo at 7:15 even louder.  At 10:34, the piece is drastically piano again, in a much more soothing way.
Texture: The piece is polyrhythmic, as most of the parts move at different rhythms. The piece is very legato at the beginning, and then becomes more frantic and the tempo picks up at 5:34, when a new section begins. This then takes on more of an allegro tempo. There are some parts of the piece where some instruments do play the same part.

Listening Journal Composer Research: Tchaikovsky

Listening Journal Composer Research: Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Tchaikovsky was a Russian composer during the late Romantic period. At the age of 53, he died of cholera suddenly.
Where do they fit into the Romantic Era?
Inspired by the death of his mother in 1854, Tchaikovsky began to compose, and made a waltz for her memory. Later, he relied on orchestration for many of his pieces. Tchaikovsky was also highly influenced by the workings of other Romantic composers, such as Franz Lachner and Jules Massenet, as when they began composing orchestral suites, he tried to as well.
What unique compositional styles did they have? What did they contribute to the development of music? What beliefs about music did they espouse?
Tchaikovsky had many different melodic styles. Mainly, his melodies did not progress or grow in any certain way, it more just repeated itself. Modulations were not very common in Russian culture, so they were not used as much by Tchaikovksy. He did very often make use of repetition in many of his pieces. Tchaikovsky advanced Russia with his compositions, as well as impacted absolute and programme music. His main concern while composing was how the aesthetic of that piece would impact the audience. Tchaikovsky wanted to appeal to his audience, and make a good experience. It has also been said that due to 18th century melodies and patriotic themes there was a strong undertone of Russian aristocracy.
Well-known work by composer:

Romeo and Juliet-Fantasy Overture

Elements of the Romantic Era: 

There are many occurrences of text depiction in this piece. Such as the love theme, at 3:20 and 4:50. This theme symbolizes Romeo and Juliet first meeting, and then their reconvening at the balcony. The two large cymbal crashes at 5:53 symbolize the suicide of Romeo and Juliet. Like many other Romantic pieces, this was a programme music piece. Much like Tchaikovsky's melodic style, the main love theme does not particularly develop or progress, as it more just repeats itself throughout the piece, such as at 3:20 and 4:50. Tchaikovsky usually did not do much to progress a melodic thing in his pieces.