Comparison between two pieces of a music class that occurred on friday 11th april, 2014

Concert Analysis
This concert analysis relates to a music class that occurred on Friday 11th April, 2014. The program was as below.
First Act
Piece Composer
The Shepherd……………………………………………………….. Lee Hoiby
Down East………………………………………………………….. Charles Ives
If you’ve only Got a Mustache……………………………………… Steven Foster
The above pieces were tenor solos accompanied by a Piano; Steven Vaught performed the tenor solo, and Carson Rose Schneider played the piano.
Second Act
Piece Composer
Moment Musical No. 4………………………………………………. Sergei Rachmaninoff
This was a piano solo performed by Yuhan Lu.
Comparison between two pieces
Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Moment Musical No. 4 (composed in 1896) is very similar to Frederic Chopin’s Prelude No. 3 in G Major, Opus 28, No. 3 (written in 1839). Moment Musical No. 4 is also similar to Chopin’s 1831 Revolutionary Etude (Etude Op. 10, No. 12 in C minor) in terms of the continual left-hand emphasis. In contrast, the Revolutionary Etude has minimal melody, with appassionato as the main melody, whereas in the case of the Moment Musical the melody is two note melody of a quasi-military idea. Both pieces are also played at an extremely high tempo, otherwise known as presto in the case of Rachmaninoff’s Moment Musical. The notes in both pieces are long, loud and they descend extremely fast. However, Moment Musical No. 4 is particularly similar to Chopin’s Prelude in G major Op. 28, No. 4 because of the fast tempo, thick texture in the left hand and a melodic intensity. It sounds and feels like an improvement of Chopin’s Prelude in G Major Op. 28, No. 4
Opinion
The attendance was poor, and those who attended sat at the back and not the front. On the positive side, the program was well organized with little interruption. The music was also good, nice accompaniment in the first three pieces, and the tenor played his part very well. His rounded voice was well timed and his expressions especially in the third piece (If you’ve only got a moustache) were comical which is what the piece demands.
The first chorus a Capella had a slow rhythm and soothing melody that was relaxing. It began softly, the tempo did not change expect in the piano and it ended in the same rhythmic manner that it started. The second choral song was one that began with the same fashion as the first, soothing and reassuring. A slow tempo, with variations in high and low notes to keep the rhythm going. The third piece was a comical piece, with a dramatic melody that was repetitive in every verse of the song. Yuhan Lu’s performance of the Moment Musical No. 4 was remarkable. It is a piece that is very difficult to master especially due to the taxing emphasis on the left hand movements.
Listening to his Moment Musical No. 4, one relates to the fast tempo which can be compared to the fast challenges and changes in life that happen impromptu. The music gives one an adrenaline rush that encourages one to tackle the obstacles in life. At the end, the music becomes softer with more emphasis on the right hand, this gives one a sense of hope and release. Sergei Rachmaninoff composed the six Moment Musicals at a time when he was in financial ruin. He composed the moments within three months to get money. At the same time, he expressed his emotions through the music. One can feel that through the fast paced tempo, and through loud and long notes.
Works Cited
Harrison, Max. Rachmaninoff: life, works, recordings. London: Continuum, 2005. Print.