S2 Listening Activty #1

TITLE: Chichester Psalms, Mvnt. 1

COMPOSER: Leonard Berstein

PERFORMER: Bow Valley College Chorus & Orchestra

TRANSLATION:

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord all ye lands.
Serve the Lord with gladness.
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the Lord, He is God.
It is He that has made us, and not we ourselves.
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Come unto His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His court with praise.
Be thankful unto Him and bless His name.
the Lord is good, His mercy everlasting
And His truth endureth to all generations.

a.) What did the music make you think of?

Its a very interesting piece of music. Listening to the music Leonard Berstein that he creates , I can now recognize his music . He likes to make very powerful starting notes and sound , following by the even more powerful and energetic tone , then in the middle of his songs , he tends to make them calm and cheerful , after that little pause of beautiful music , he likes to end his songs with a powerful push. This technique really grabs the listening audience and by that it is not boring to listen. 

b.) Did you like the music?  Why or why not?

Each and every art work either is a song or an art piece has its own little highlight. I liked this song , not just because I love classical music , but because after listening to this song you feel stronger and better . Mr Berstein does a great job lifting up the audience .

c.) What does the music do (discuss dynamics, tempos, articulation, etc.)?

By listening to this song , I think of how much hard work both the orchestra and the choir had to put into this. The change in tempo and dynamics are really hard to follow,  and one must always have to listen to the fellow choir members to not get off pitch and always looking at the conductor . 

d.) What instruments/voices do you hear? How are these sounds employed to create the mood of the piece?

Choir: Soprano , Alto , base , tenor . The voices don't get mixed up and you could hear every section. 

The Sopranos really lift the music. 

The Alto give the beautiful sound that matches with all of the other voices. 

The Base sections give the powerful push of energy 

The Tenor voices balance the other voices together.

Orchestra : The use of each instrument is highlighted and you could hear all of them just like the choir sections. 

It was very interesting how Leonard Berstein uses a xylophone as one of the main instruments ,  by this it gives a bouncy feeling.