Student's Musical Experience in the EKU Center Essay - 2

Student's Musical Experience in the EKU Center - Essay Example One song the reporter chooses is â€Å"Shortcut Home† by Dana Wilson composed in 1946. The tempo was very fast with a strong influence of the brass instruments. Heavy percussion was included. The tune then switched to something a little softer but then picked up speed again. It continued to go back and forth but the underlying tempo maintained a fast speed while some of the other instrument sections played over the top of it. The end was very powerful and most of the time it was played very loudly. Toward the end, the song had a sinister twist. There was more use of bells and the triangle at the end. â€Å"Shortcut Home† is a fanfare style song and each ensemble had its own special portion where it was featured within the song. The style was made of several different jazz styles. The music is profound in some areas and cascades until the final C Major chord. Hearing this song in person versus hearing songs in class was very arousing. There was just a vision that he coul d associate with how it made me feel. Since it is called â€Å"Shortcut Home† I think that it is a piece about someone who is frantic to get home and all of a sudden they find a shortcut, go scurrying, and then, at last, they are at home. The other song he chooses is â€Å"Cloudburst† by Eric Whitacre in 1970. It was interesting because it had audience participation. The music started out with the horns blaring at a slow pace, followed by woodwinds and then a short brief silence until all of the ensembles came together to perform. The sound of the cymbals would lead the first section to a climax. Then it was almost a dark thundercloud was lingering as the deeper brass instruments began to play their low haunting tune. Based on the slow tempo and the crashing cymbals, the reporter thinks that â€Å"Cloudburst† was about a thunderstorm. It was very soft and mellow at many points and then there would be a light crashing of the cymbals again.