Music History 1st Paper

Patrick M. Riley MUH 204-75 University Symphony Orchestra Feb. 1, 2008 For the first concert, I attended the University of Louisville’s Symphony Orchestra (USO) at Comstock Theater. It was the first performance of the year by the USO, and featured many of the standard orchestral elements: violin, viola, cello, bass, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone, tuba, and percussion. The first piece, “Overture on Russian and Khirgiz” was conducted by Nilson Galvao, Jr. It was a very impressive performance and probably my favorite of the three. The piece featured many changes in tempo and musical theme. A musical melody was heavily influenced by the woodwind and stringed instruments of the orchestra. The tempo changed as the piece began with a slow and melodious introduction, and transitioned to a fast and rhythmic crescendo. I believe the meter was in 4/4 time throughout most of the performance. A melodic motif was repeated by the oboes and clarinets, and followed by the harmonious melodies of the violin through most of the piece. The next piece “Concerto in C Major” featured a young pianist performing an ensemble with the stringed instruments. The performance contained many uses of crescendo and decrescendo from both of the major elements. The alternating largo and allegro tempo added to the mood and difficulty of the piece. I’m not certain what the meter was, but I believe for the most of the piece there were 4 beats per measure as in the first performance. The quick vibrations of the violin created a powerful effect while accompanied by the complex melodies of the piano.

The final performance was “Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 in E Minor”. All four movements were performed in sequence. The first movement, “Allegro con anima” was named very appropriately. The tempo was very lively and cheerful, with frequent changes in meter. There was a frequently occurring motif which was very harmonious and uplifting, only shadowed by decrescendos and slowing tempo. I was amazed by the different bowing styles used by many of the stringed instruments during the piece. Often they would ricochet the bows in unison to create quick echo like sounds in the theater. This movement had a very powerful and forceful climax which seemed to resemble earlier fragments of the piece. The next movement, “Andante cantabile con alcuna licenza” began with a very slow and somber introduction, followed by a melodic horn and woodwind section. The polyphonic texture of the piece was very impressive, and again contained different melodies played by the strings, woodwinds, and horns. The mid section of the piece was much slower than the first movement. The climax was again dynamic and forceful, however much slower and shorter than that of the first movement. The third movement, “Valse: Allegro moderato”, contained many beautiful and cheerful sounding sections played by woodwinds and strings. The meter was much shorter with emphasis on the first beat. I’m not certain, but my best guess would be that the majority of the piece was played in three four time. This movement was also much shorter than the first two movements. The final movement, “Finale: Andante maestoso – Allegro vivace”, contained many variations in theme. I noticed the deep sounds of the gong and bass sounds of the drums from the percussion instruments. These thematic sections were in a fast and lively tempo, allegro and vivace made up the common tempo markings of the piece. The finale was very climactic, with lots of energy and enthusiasm from all elements of the orchestra.