New York New Music Ensemble :: essays research papers

The New York New Music Ensemble began with a bang, literally. This supporting players has been around for twenty-three years and it is considered to be the raising standard in contemporary chamber harmony. On Thursday afternoon, I saw the tout tout ensemble perform three pieces Trio, Nutturno, and Marxville Songbook. These three possess truly similar sapidity color and composition. The ensembles first piece, Trio, was composed by Donald Martino. This practice of medicineian pursued his interest in music at a very young age. By age fifteen, he did not only distinguish how to play various instruments, but he also started composing. Martino excelled as a member of American Academy of Arts and Letters and was rewarded scholarships. In 1974, Martinos classic sextet, Notturno, won him the Pulitzer Prize in music. In Notturno in that respect are three large parts, which could be described as movements that maintain the musics continuity. Within these three movements, there are nin eteen little parts. The first and last movements have nine parts that make up the contrasting sounds in the music. The final movement concentrates more on the rig transformation. Structurally, this format would be a recapitulation, but the use of pitch transforms it into something new. To punctuate the pitch fluctuation, three different kinds of flutes were played. Because of the pitch variation in this piece, there were many melodies to follow. In a way, the music sounded like sound effect to a horror flick. For example, the tone color of the piece would be expert and calm then all of a sudden the percussion would pass a crashing sound and disturb the quiet. Towards the end of the piece, the musicians tapped their instruments to add to the eerie atmosphere. In comparison to Notturno, Martinos Trio (the first piece played) still produced the analogous psychotic and dramatic sound. This instrumental consisted of small packets of sound played mildly then fiercely. The ensemble began the piece slowly and worked its way to climactic units of music throughout the set. The violins sound danced along the pianos ground. The piano set the rhythm, while the clarinet and violin built on spend of it. This piece was a good example of non-imitative polyphony because the clarinet and violin were compete melodies of their own. To complete the piece, the clarinet trailed off leaving the audience uneasy. The second piece the ensemble performed was the Marxville Songbook, which was composed by Jeffrey Stadelman.