classical

Commissioned in 1942 by dancer Martha Graham and pianist and arts patron Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, Copland set out to write a ballet that was wholly American in nature. The script, written by Graham, told the story of a pioneering family in Pennsylvania contemplating their bright future.

However, this jazz-inspired period was brief, as his style evolved toward the goal of writing more accessible works. During the 1930’s, Copland came to believe that a composer should not limit himself by just composing for serious concert performances. He also began incorporating American folk melodies into his music.

What is the form of Section 7 from Appalachian Spring by Copland? Section 7 of Appalachian Spring is in – meter. The tune – is made up of -phrases; it is played at the beginning and then varied – times.

An American Story in Movement One of Graham’s most celebrated works, Appalachian Spring, explores the lives of a young pioneer husband and his bride beginning a life together on the American frontier. Opposing forces dominate the dance—youthfulness versus maturity, and physical love opposed to spiritual devotion.

What best describes the instrumentation of Variation 5 in Section 7 of Appalachian Spring? Section 7 of Appalachian Spring is in – meter. The tune – is made up of – phrases; it is played at the beginning and then varied – times.

What best describes the instruments featured in Variation 2? Which of the following statements correctly describe Variation 2 in Section 7 of Appalachian Spring? -The violas play the tune first, followed by the violins in canon. -The rhythms are slower than in the original tune (augmentation).

-It is played in a slow tempo. Section 1 of Appalachian Spring by Copland has a rising melody played in a slow tempo.

Polytonality, in music, the simultaneous occurrence of two or more different tonalities or keys (the interrelated sets of notes and chords used in a composition). If only two keys are employed, the term bitonality is sometimes used.

What best describes the ensemble heard in the introduction of Billie’s Blues? In Billie’s Blues, each section of the music is called a chorus. Each chorus is the same length. Instead of counting the number of beats to determine the length of a chorus, we group the beats into measures (also called bars).

The drums and bass both supply a rhythmic pulse for the music, and the bass instrument supplies a harmonic foundation with a bassline.

20″

There is no specific note that all bass drums are tuned to. Not all Bass drums even have an discernible tone. Motown drummers are the first thing I think of when I think of musical sounding kick toms, but a lot of bands are simply looking for impact and not musical quality. Alot of drummers don’t tune their drums.

105 dB

130 decibels

How loud is a gunshot? Decibel levels for firearms average between 140 and 165 dB.

140 decibels

Human auditory field: frequency-intensity curves At each frequency, between 20 Hz and 20 kHz, the threshold of our sensitivity is different. The best threshold (at around 2 kHz) is close to 0 dB. It is also in this middle range of frequencies that the sensation dynamics is the best (120 dB).

Though a ‘normal’ audible range for loudness is from 0 to 180dB, anything over 85dB is considered damaging, so we should try not to go there. As we age, it’s the upper frequencies we lose first. So by the time we hit middle-age, we can expect to hear up to around 14,000Hz.

“The sounds in Yanny play out at a higher frequency than the sounds in Laurel. Because of that, listening through different devices—whether it’s your phone, computer, iPad, or headphones—can make you hear different things as your brain subconsciously chooses which frequencies to pay attention to.

If you can hear that annoying, high-pitched sound, you’re more likely to hear “Yanny” because you can better decipher high-frequency noise, Francis said. If you are a big fan of Yanni, a new-age music producer, you are more likely to hear “Yanny.” If you have a friend named Laurel, you are more likely to hear “Laurel.”

In somewhat of a disappointment to the many people who heard “Yanny” in the clip, the actual word recorded in the original clip is laurel, defined as a “wreath worn on the head, usually as a symbol for victory.”

Story has experimented by recording his own voice pronouncing both words and found similar sound patterns for “Yanny” and “Laurel”. Lower frequencies increase your chances of hearing the world “Laurel” while higher ones are more likely to sound like “Yanny”.