Exploring Music: Bach to Rock Analysis Paper Custom Essay

Exploring Music: Bach to Rock Analysis Paper
Summer Intersession, 2014
Due Friday, May 30, 11:59 p.m.
Hand in or drop in the drop box on Springboard.
A. Select your leitmotif.
I would like to chose “chopin nocturne”
1. Pick a selection of music that could be considered your leitmotif – your “theme song.” It can be of any style, and from any time period. Listen through this work several times without interruption.
2. Make sure you tell me title and author of the work (example: My leitmotif is “Raiders March” from Raiders of the Lost Ark by John Williams).
3. Please explain why this music is your leitmotif. You may choose to reference historical, cultural, social or personal events that relate to your selection. You may write this based solely on your emotional

reaction to the music. It is up to you.
B. Analyze the music.
1. Address four of the musical categories found on the syllabus (under Terminological Starter) for this selection. Be sure to provide headings for each category, such as “Rhythm/Tempo,” “Melody,” etc.
2. Include a section titled “Expression,” where you explain what mood this piece conveys and how. Consider this the part of the paper where you pull together the important musical points made earlier,

summarizing what expressive purpose they serve. Answer the question “why.” Why did the composer use the musical elements he did to express the mood of the song?
3. Conclude with a paragraph stating how this analysis strengthens or weakens your case for this music to be your leitmotif.
C. Provide a bibliography.
1. Use this guide for your bibliography:
Composer Last Name, Composer First Name. “Title of Work.” Larger work. Type of media (CD, mp3, tape, etc.). City of copyright holder: Name of copyright holder. Copyright date. . Date website was accessed.
Example:
Williams, John. “Raiders March.” Raiders of the Lost Ark. Boston Pops, John Williams, conductor. CD. New York: Sony BMG Music Entertainment, 1991.
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2. For more information on how to write a bibliography, you may access: http://www.aresearchguide.com/12biblio.html or http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/citationbuilder/
ELEMENTS OF A GOOD PAPER
• Double-spaced, minimum of 1000 words, with proper grammar.
• Remember to clearly label the sections of your paper as described above under “Analysis.”
• If you quote (directly or indirectly) any outside source, you MUST cite this. I will not accept papers without a bibliography.
• Please submit this paper either in person or using the drop box on Springboard listed as “Analysis Paper.” Please transmit using Microsoft Word or pdf. I cannot read Word Perfect documents.
• Deadline is 11:59 p.m., Friday, May 30.
DO
• Write your own paper. I want to know YOUR ideas and analysis.
• Use college-level language. Casual speech, “text” speech, improper punctuation,
typographical errors and swearing will deduct points from your overall grade.
DO NOT
• Plagiarize. Please refer to the syllabus for The University of Akron policy on plagiarism.
A complete, well-written, thoughtful paper that is submitted on time will receive full credit. Late papers will be accepted; however, any paper that misses the deadline will be deducted 1/2 grade per calendar

day they are late. PLEASE TURN IN LATE PAPERS. It is better to receive an “F” for a paper (giving you the ability to make it up with extra credit) than a “Zero” (which gives you no points and makes you

ineligible to receive extra credit).
Grading:
There are a total of 40 points possible for this paper:
• 0-5 points for the introduction and explanation of your leitmotif.
• 0-20 points for analysis (up to 5 points for each section).
• 0-10 points for the “Expression” section.
• 5 points for on time and formatted according to the criteria with a proper bibliography
(must meet all criteria to get these points).
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FAQs
Do I have to turn in a tape, CD or mp3 of the music I am discussing?
No; I’m not judging whether you actually heard this or that in the music. Rather, I’m looking to see if you can make sense of the terms, and if you can link them to the mood of the
piece. Having said that, feel free to turn in the music if you want; I’ll certainly listen to it.
What if I’m wrong? What if the piece is in major and I say minor?
Don’t worry; unless I know the song, I won’t even catch it. Take a chance and try to be creative.
Must I use a certain number of terms in each section?
No; I’m not assigning points to individual terms. Rather than trying to use as many terms as possible, you should focus on making sense of those that you do use. Always elaborate on your terms, providing

some specific information regarding just where and how that musical trait surfaces in the piece. Example:
Bad Musical Discussion (worth one point): “Rhythm/Tempo”
This song is in duple meter. There is a lot of syncopation. I hear an accelerando.
Better (worth 4-5 points):
“Rhythm/Tempo”
The duple meter of All My Love comes through very clearly because the drummer hits his cymbal on what sounds like every other beat. I cannot tell if the cymbal crashes on “beat 1” or “beat 2,” but either

way, it obviously has to be duple meter. Meanwhile, the guitarist seems to be contradicting the drummer by playing loudly between these two beats. By definition this is syncopation. You can hear it particularly

clearly about a minute into the song, at the words, “You are my number one man.” It is harder to hear the syncopation near the end because the accelerando tends to blur the rhythm, much the way the spokes

of a bike get blurry when the wheel turns fast.
Stayin’ Alive works very differently in regard to rhythm and tempo. To begin with, there is almost no syncopation in this duple-meter song; rather, the beats….
What if I hear something important that the terms don’t seem to cover?
Try to describe it in your own words.
Must I keep the musical discussions separate? What if it makes sense to discuss harmony and melody together?
It’s OK to combine two discussions, but be sure to indicate that you are doing this; without a subheading like “Rhythm/Tempo and Melody,” I’ll treat it as a single section (which means you still need three

more sections). If something comes up in one section that more properly belongs in another, don’t worry about it. Later in the paper you can always write, “….as I mentioned above…”
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• Leaving out a section.
• Not labeling a section.
Frequent Mistakes
• Not elaborating on terminology (i.e., using a term but not making it clear you know what it means; see the example above).
• Writing fewer than 1000 words.
• GRAMMAR. I understand that it can be hard to use musical terminology for the first time. Consequently, I’ll read your musical discussions sympathetically. But just plain bad English will result in fewer points.
• No bibliography, incomplete bibliography, or not all sources cited.
• Late.