Music help?

Question

Help with interpreting music for an exam , dont know what yet but most likley classical? any help or advice would be fantastic as im nervous as hell!

Answer 1

Its hard to interpret music, unless you have some background info. Check biographies of the composers whom you have recently studied - sometimes this is important. For example, Edvard Grieg (my favourite composer), grew up in Norway and was told stories of elves, fairies, trolls, etc. This made way for his Lyric Suite. Each song of the suite has a unique name (excluding pieces such as 'Waltz' and all, which are just the dance/tempo names).

The title of the piece is very very important and you should:

Always check the title first, if it has a unique name, such as 'March of the Trolls' (by E. Grieg, Op. 54 Lyric Suite) or something, then that is what that song is about. But you must listen to it!!
This song is set up in ABA format (which most of Grieg's songs are) and you have to really think about what Grieg was thinking. At the beginning you can "picture" the trolls marching. First they come out, then they get louder and march on towards what?
Well in the second B form, there is a beautiful section which one may think of as a little village secluded in the woods or somewhere.
Then all of a sudden the trolls start slowly coming, then they get louder and 'completely destroy the village' -- or that is what you can picture.
Thus, from the title you can clearly get a good picture about what the composer saw, or was thinking.
Also watch out for titles named after works of art, poems etc. Such as Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibitation. Or Debussy's Claire de Lune. These give you a good idea about the lyrics, art etc that were the basis of the songs.

Then, If the title is like 'Adagio for Strings' or has a tempo in it, then think about how the composer wanted the song played, slowly, fast. -How does this composer want you to hear the piece? Slowly, does s/he want you to take it all in?

Classical Era composers all followed the standard format of the time. If it was a sonata, then it was a 3 movement piece of allegro-slow-rondo. Until Beethoven changed things around, because he's cool like that and says 'meh, I don't want it like that...' then he changed the way that most symphonies, etecetera are played. This includes his Moonlight Sonata, his Symphony No. 9 Finale (which featured Choral!) etc...

This made way for the...
Romantic era composers used "Colours" for their music. Light colors are usually softer, and "darker" colours more dreary (like in the Minor keys) -- sometimes very soft and quiet, or loud and depressing.
Most songs are lyrical and deep.

Overall, its you who are judging the music. If you hear a song that moves you, good, if you hear a song, and just a song, then thats fine. Music works differently in all people. Althought you gave some vague details, perhaps what I said may help.

Good Luck on your exam! :)
As long as you listen to your heart, you're never wrong.
-matthew
P.S. sorry about the length, I wrote my heart out.

Answer 2

Well, you don;t tell us what the music or style is, and we don;t know what instrument you are playing.

But my teacher's advice always stuck with me:

If you play strictly what the composer wrote, you will have a unique interpretation. :-)

Answer 3

Dear. BREATH!!! All, I think, you are being asked to do is listen to music and tell them what you feel or see or whatever. don't make it out to be harder than it is. Just listen and let your mind take you where the music takes you.

Answer 4

BRAVO Glinzek!!!!