Upload 2-3 paragraphs from the rough draft of your composer paper. This is in preparation for the conferences that will be happening on April 19, 22, and 24.
This is the information I was given for the completed composer paper, but I just need a rough draft. I am doing the paper on the composer Jack Johnson and analyzing his song Banana Pancakes. I only need 2-3 paragraphs (whatever you can fit on the page), so it doesn’t need to go too in depth.
Pick one music composer that you are interested in; this composer can come from any genre and from any time period in music history. Do some brief research and write about their life and work. Cite any sources you use with the format you are most comfortable with. Also, pick your favorite piece of music from this composer and analyze it (like your concert reaction paper). If you find any information as to why the composer wrote the piece you select, please include that as well. Your paper should be a minimum of 5 pages double spaced and a maximum of 6 pages double spaced (not including the works cited page).
The questions to answer for the analysis portion of this paper:
Rhythm: Can you tap along with the beat? Describe the tempo and any tempo changes. What is the meter? Are there meter changes that you can hear?
Melody/Harmony: What instrument has the melody? Which one has the harmony? Does the melody pass between voices/instruments? What are the other instruments/voices doing? Are they silent? Do they move in the same rhythm? Do they provide a drone? Does the melody generally go up, down, or form an arch shape?
Form: How many sections are in the piece? Can you give an outline of the form using letters (ex. AABA)? Are any sections similar or identical to one another? How many distinct melodies occur? Where is the major climax of the piece? What musical elements support your decision?
Dynamics: What are the dynamics for the piece? Are there changes in the sound level? Are the changes gradual or sudden?
Timbre (voices/instruments): What do you hear? How would you describe the sounds? For what medium is the piece composed (solo instrument, choir, orchestra, big band, etc.)? Are the instruments/voices generally playing in their low, middle, or high registers? Are the instruments used in an unusual way? Are the sounds generally separated or connected?
