Homework Question on Comparing Styles in Music
- Comparing Two Pieces of Music Select one musical work of your own preference and style and compare it to a classical piece from the Baroque, Classical, or Romantic eras of music.
- Describe both musical selections including each of the following:
- The composition,
- composer,
- Performer,
- Musical style,instruments used
- The composer’s use of music elements including melody, harmony, rhythm, dynamics, timbre, texture, and form
- The inspiration and influences on the creation of the music
- How the music makes you feel What thoughts and images each piece evokes for you personally
- Overall similarities and differences between the two pieces.
Homework Answer on Comparing Styles in Music
One composer might employ a style that is unique and different from others. Different music by various composers exhibit significant differences and similarities. The differences and similarities in the music are recognized through substantive analysis of the elements such as melody, harmony, rhythm, dynamics, timbre, texture, and form. This work analyzes two pieces of music: Think of Me and The Lord is my Shepherd by Phantom of Opera and Schubert’s respectively.
First, these two pieces possess similar homophonic texture. The voice and accompaniment in both pieces are in harmony. However, these pieces have different structures. For instance, Think of Me is composed of a ternary form. i.e., ABA pattern, with some sections showing up like choruses. However, The Lord is my Shepherd does not adopt an explicit form. Rather, Schubert has broken down the piece into sections that occur in the initial biblical text. Whenever lyrics are repeated in such a manner, they cement emphasis and intensity (Dennis & DeFleur, 2010).
These two pieces have different timing. For example, the timing of the piece, The Lord is my Shepherd, remains constant unlike in the piece, Think of Me where the timing is changing continuously. The later shifts from 4/4 timing to 12/8 timing and then returns to 4/4 timing. Besides adding intensity to the music, this form adds interest to the listeners. Haynes (2007) states, “keys variation between these two pieces creates tension and intensity to the music.”