The first piece written by Lowell Liebermann, Sonata for Flute and Harp, Op. 56 was a vibrant piece music dealing mostly with chromaticism at its center. The harp slowly and gradually moves in a crescendo with an almost synonymous sound to a suspense movie. The flute on the other hand, acts as the amplifying instrument that amplifies the tension created by the harp. Similarly, David Kechley’s piece, Available Light: Midwinter Musings for Flute and Harp possesses almost the same characteristics as Liebermann’s piece with an exemption of a calm and soothing reflective 3rd movement, the Lyric Transformation. The 1st and 2nd movement, Frenetic Reflection and Cold Fusion desperately dives into an even more chromaticism while still…
Through the important elements the responder is placed in a position to experience the different impacts and emotions associated with the texts. These techniques allow the distinctively visual to have the power to manipulate the audience's expectations and strong feelings towards the texts. The Shoe-horn Sonata written by John Misto and the short film, 'Lovefield' directed by Mathieu Ratthe allows the responder to experience both positive and negative themes associated with the texts such as power, war, friendship and bravery which therefore enables them to explore new emotions and experiences that may be unfamiliar to them. Elements such as effective visual and distinctive techniques have been used to create vivid images associated with…
The distinctively visual connects an image with an idea. To illustrate the effectiveness of the distinctively visual in emphasising the ways that individuals respond to significant aspects of life, two uniquely Australian texts stand alone; the prescribed text The Shoe-Horn Sonata by John Misto written in 1996 and the epic 2008 film Australia by Baz Luhramm. Both texts deal with aspects of war and the importance of truth. Each text, whether it be a dramatised stage play or a film script, has a composer who has the capacity to emotionally transport an audience to a different time and place by bringing the written word to the visual medium through their evocative and highly innovative choice of the distinctively visual.…
Even the lyrics of Shadow Waltz stress the power of imagination: “Let me dream a song that I can bring to you . . . Let me linger long, let me live my song.” During the Great Depression, viewers wanted to leave their harsh realities and escape into the world of entertainment, if only for a while. However, escape is ultimately fleeting; as the shot of the flower creating ripples in the pond illustrates, illusion is always broken. Likewise, the concluding shot of the audience members and the lowering curtain reminds the viewer that the fantastical “reality” of “Shadow Waltz” is merely an illusion, a musical within a…
Shoe Horn Sonata is an impressive story of courage, hope, horror and friendship. This play is a tribute to commemorate the bravery of the women and to make their story of survival widely known. The historical context that the story has enables us to learn about the past events and to understand the true meaning of war and its consequences. The play draws on real events. Misto uses the play to demonstrate the devastation of war and the human spirit and will to survive, both prevalent themes throughout the play. Such themes are exemplified to the audience through the use of dramatic techniques such as music, projected…
I have listened to 'Beautiful Day' by U2 a number of times and each time the message Bono, the writer and lead vocalist, is sending out becomes clearer and clearer. The message behind this song is the environment and how it has changed as a result of how people have treated it. He is trying to make people see that something needs to be done about the environment before it deteriorates. The first time I listened to 'Beautiful Day', I highlighted key words and phrases which I thought were significant to what the song is mainly about. I, also, thought about the influence this song has had on its audience and me, and how it could help me when I do verbal arts.…
Films serve as an effective medium for educating their audience members. For historical events such as the Holocaust, films carry the immense potential to assure that the memory of horrifying systematic brutality inflicted on certain populations and the memory of the horrors these victims’ experienced live on. Films are instrumental in assimilating the remembrance of genocides like the Holocaust into public and popular consciousness. With the pivotal influence that these films harness, finding the balance between upholding historical accuracy and evoking strong emotions from the audience stands at the crux of Holocaust film production. In exploration of this balance, three films from different genres-- Night and Fog, Life is Beautiful,…
With much less sharp angles, “Wiistedt’s View” creates a melancholic soundscape that works mostly in a typical piano trio formation, expanded with the inclusion of Dahlgren’s mellow trombone.…
The album’s meaning was more specifically about leaving behind past problems and moving on with life. Songs like “Let it Be” are about people forgetting about their problems and just relaxing. Another example of this would be the song,“Across the Universe” which says multiple times,”nothing’s gonna change my world.” Compared to the Beatles other songs and albums this album is the key to the lock, matching their style and message perfectly. The Beatles are known for being a very poetic band and this album is a great example of…
The lyrics of the song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, performed by The Beatles, and primarily written by John Lennon, takes the reader or listener on a journey into the imagination. There are a few interpretations of this song. The most popular interpretation being, that the lyrics of the song follow the kind of journey that one would embark on upon the consumption of the hallucinogenic drug LSD which would project the wildest of imaginings.…
In John Lennon’s song “Imagine” the vision of a world without conflict speaks through every lyric. Lennon wanted to portray his dream of humanity being united…
Dead Island is a video game where players are trapped on an island resort and have to fight zombies in order to survive. The trailer for the game does not focus on how the game is actually played, which is the norm for game trailers, but instead sets up a narrative that is different from society’s typical view on zombies. The trailer also has more depth and emotional pull than most advertisements. It pulls at the heartstrings of its audience by using a touching visual narrative and accompanying it with emotional music. It is in our culture to create meaning and definition of things because we are afraid of the unknown. The Dead Island trailer alters our culture’s typical view of zombies and of advertisements, as there has not been a video game trailer similar to the narrative or musical accompaniment of the Dead Island trailer. This trailer makes a successful and compelling advertisement because the visual narrative and the music work together to create a memorable, emotionally jarring, and unique piece unlike other trailers.…
“Across the Universe” is a musical film based on 34 compositions by the legendary rock’n’roll quartet – the Beatles. The movie is called after the same name song of the band, “Across the Universe”, which was released in 1969 and later as one of tracks of a charity album “No One is Going to Change Our World” at the label “Apple”.…
For this reflection, I choose to share “The Pianist” one of my favorite films and one I thought tied well to this week’s reflection. The Pianist follows the dramatically moving story of a Polish-Jewish pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman who played the last live music over polish radio before it was interrupted by the first strikes of Nazi artillery of World War II. When I saw this movie for the first time and then again for this review what struck me the most was not only the plot and the characters but the music. Once you hear it every feeling of terror and helplessness the characters went through enters your own body, the music still echo’s in my mind. The music in this film was used brilliantly, as it guided the emotional response intended for the audience. For instance when it was used to present Szpilman, the music was an uplifting anthem, sending positive energy to the viewers, which made his character more amicable. As for the soundtrack in a fast paced scene of war, it would match this with a fast-paced tempo piano piece, which spilled over into the audience as a running sensation. Another example would be the classical pieces used, which had a clear general mood and Szpilman’s character weighed heavily on the substance of the music. The uses of soundtrack for the purposes of foreshadowing were very obvious with deep sounds or loud dramatic pieces before a scene of sorrow or uproar. I believe music in this film was used as an expression of Wladyslaw Szpilman mental state, using music as a hallucinatory coping mechanism. It is Szpilman’s music that provides the most unfettered insights into his inner life, with very powerful musical pieces played throughout times of inner…
Across The Universe Act Naturally Ain't She Sweet All I've Got To Do All My Loving All Together Now All You Need Is Love And I Love Her…