Analysis Project
Option 1) Analysis Project! Choose any song or piece (a comparison of two pieces is also acceptable), and provide an analysis essay (1500-2000 words) using the terms we have learned in class. If a score is available, great! If not, thats ok, provide an audio file or link. Your analysis should include a few quick details at the beginning about the artist and the circumstances of the composition, but the majority of the essay should be focussed on the musical details of the work itself. Some important details you might include could be: what is the key? Does it have a key? What about rhythm, does it have a regular time signature, how many big beats per measure? etc. Is there a regular rhythmic pattern or is it changing? Are there scales and/or chords present? Can you identify them? How often does the harmony change? Do you recognize parts of the harmonic progression? How many voices are there (i.e. melody? bass? other details about instrumentation)? Are there motives? Gestures? Phrases? Can you remark on anything else about the form? Melody? Harmony? Rhythm? And so on! I also encourage you to explore higher level aesthetic questions, What do you find most significant moments in the work, why? Are there moments of tension? or moments of repose? How do the parts of the piece all fit together to tell a story? How does it make you feel? How does it go about expressing whatever it seems to be expressing? If you can connect these questions back to the musical details above, that would be the ultimate goal of analysis.
