Essay About Detailed Musical Description And Focus Of Your Paper

Candide Is Voltaire
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For this paper, you must attend CUs production of West Side Story (3/16 and 3/17 at 7:30, and 3/18 at 2 pm) or watch a video. Then, you should write your paper according to the following guidelines: Begin with an introduction: which production did you attend (or which video did you watch)? Next, briefly summarize the plot in 1-2 paragraphs. Your next 4-6 paragraphs should discuss the music of one act of West Side Story in detail. Your description should include a few sentences about each aria, duet, ensemble number and any other music that occurs during the act. This should be detailed musical description of what you heard, not of the musics emotional effect (i.e., do not write “the music was upbeat” or “the music sounded sad”). I encourage you to check out a CD or video from the library to listen to the music again if you need help remembering what the pieces sounded like for your paper. Your next paragraph should briefly discuss two or three highlights of the act you didnt discuss in detail. For example, if you focused on Act 1, you might discuss “I Feel Pretty,” “Somewhere,” and the music of the final taunting/dance scene. Your description of these pieces should focus on the music you heard. Finally, close your paper with your reflections on what you heard. What did you like about the music, what did you not like, and why? Include examples. Also include any comments on strengths and weaknesses of the performance here. Your paper should include a bibliography if you used any recordings or videos. Remember the focus of your paper is your musical description. Submit your paper here as a Microsoft Word document (.doc) or as a rich text file (.rtf).