Concert Review Analysis Paper

For this assignment you will choose, and carefully read, two published concert reviews from any of the
sources listed below. One review should be related to a vocal performance and the other review should
be related to an instrumental performance. Be sure to give the title and source of the review, the name of
the reviewer, and the type of musical performance being reviewed. Include any other pertinent
information such as the date, location (performance venue), name of the group or individuals
performing, and works and composers on the program. Do not do a comparison of the two reviews.
As you read each review take note of, and discuss in your paper, the different types of information given
by the reviewers. Report on each reveiwer’s writing style focusing on their use of vocabulary (academic
or conversational), organization, tone (e.g. critical, informative, etc.), and potential target audience.
Assess the overall effectiveness of the passage in conveying the information related to the works on the
program, the performers, the performance space, and the performance itself. Share some of your
observations with the class by posting two short one-sentence excerpts from your paper in the
BlackBoard Class Discussions thread. Feel free to use short quotes from the passages you are
commenting on in both your paper and in your discussion entry. The paper should total 500 words
divided into two separate paragraphs and must be written in a crital scholarly style using proper
grammar.

Music Criticism Blogs

Washington, D.C.:

Charles Downey (moderator), Ionarts: http://ionarts.blogspot.com/

Andrew Lindemann Malone, DMV Classical: http://dmvclassical.wordpress.com

Anne Midgette, The Classical Beat: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/classical-beat

New York:

Alex Ross, The Rest is Noise: www.therestisnoise.com

The Village Voice, Music: http://www.villagevoice.com/music/ (New York)

Feast of Music: http://feastofmusic.com (New York)

Joe Horowitz, The Unanswered Questions: http://artsjournal.com/uq/ (New York)

Chicago:

Chicago Classical Review: http://chicagoclassicalreview.com

Mark Geelhoed, Deceptively Simple: http://deceptively-simple.com (Chicago)

Andrew Patner, Tonic Blotter: http://tonicblotter.blogspot.com (Chicago)

California:

The Standing Room: http://thestandingroom.typepad.com (San Francisco)

Axel Feldheim, Not For Fun Only: http://nffo.blogspot.com (San Francisco)

Out West Arts: http://outwestarts.blogspot.com (Los Angeles and San Francisco)

Other Sources for Music Journalism:

Most major newspapers or magazines with a music component have an online presence,
sometimes free to all, and sometimes limited to subscribers. The New York Times, Boston Globe,
Baltimore Sun, Chicago Tribune, and L.A. Times are all good examples from outside the D.C.
metropolitan area.