MUS223 - Milestone2
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School
Southern New Hampshire University *
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Course
223
Subject
English
Date
Jan 9, 2024
Type
docx
Pages
2
Uploaded by belladonna132413
Ericka Mathis
MUS 223
Milestone 2
Musical Interpretation: "The Sorcerer's Apprentice"
This piece starts out sounding light with the strings and quickly we are introduced to clarinets and flutes, the melodic theme which is repeated throughout is slow and almost lazy until
about the 1 minute mark where we are introduced to trumpets. The trumpets give way to a pianissimo flute melody, there is hesitation until the trumpets start again. Just after the 2 minute mark there is a break in the music and as it starts again it is choppier and a bit more frantic sounding. The melody is not as fluid and sure of itself as it was at the start, there are descending runs and we are introduced to a sort of chime that plays along with the melodic theme. The music continues in a tremolo fashion fading in and out, coming in stronger at times and quieting down at others. We hear the repeated melody get harsher with more brass until it crescendos to cymbal crashes that continue through more intensely until the 5 minute mark. After the crashing the trumpets are back in unison chasing melodies and getting louder until there is silence. Slowly
the woodwinds start again, the brass joins and the music has become more frenzied, additional rounds of the melody are played and they chase each other through the scale with a call and response until around 8 minutes and 30 seconds there are more crashes of cymbals. There is another silence and the light, airy sounds from the beginning of the piece return with the
woodwinds and strings. We are reminded of the confidence of the start of the song, and there is a
final flourish at the end. One thing that sticks out in this piece is the difference between the middle of the piece and the beginning and ending of the piece. The middle is faster paced, it fades in and out, and is slightly chaotic whereas the beginning and ending are more melodic and even. The differences are meant to showcase the difference between the sorcerer and his apprentice. When the sorcerer is present, the beginning and end, there is a stillness and calmness to the music. When he is not present the apprentice’s lack of training and confidence come across in the more choppy approach to the melody. There are several things that drew me to this piece but the main was how iconic it is. When someone says Fantasia the first image brought to mind is from this scene. As I continued research into this piece I found it fascinating that it was inspired by a poem by the same name. I’ve read the poem and have found it equally as fascinating as the music that it inspired. There were several points where the trumpets come in with their high to low bouncing melody that reminded me of marching storm troopers from Star Wars which was not something I expected to picture when listening. As I mentioned above there is a stark contrast between the middle and the
beginning and end of this piece, I felt relaxed and peaceful during the beginning and the end however the middle was jarring and made me feel anxious. I know I have heard this piece before this class but I don’t recall how I was introduced to it. I do not think it was Fantasia as I had not seen the full film until this class, however I have seen small clips of it so it may have been the true introduction after all.
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