Q3 Listening Log 

Title  Analysis 

Wagner- O
​ verture to Rienzi  I think the way Wagner behind this piece is a bit 
  different from his characteristic use of liet-motif 
  unless you count the singular trumpet note as a 
  motif. I find his hamonic vocabulary to be 
  pleasing especially because of his use of the iii 
  chord and the lift to the IV. Descending baseline 
  is a new trait that I have not heard so 
prominently in any of my other listings. Much 
like Lizst he uses strings to build tension 
underneath the brass melody and employs a 
lot of rhythmic symmetry in his melodies while 
still maintaining interest through the 
transposition of the rhythm to different degrees 
of the scale. A Lot more tritones are being used 
for dissonance than for cadential effect.  

Verdi- Overture to Nabucco  Much more traditionalist than Wagner in his 

orchestration and harmonic vocabulary, Verdi 
still maintains interest through contrasting 
styles and pleasing chord progressions( alot of 
secondary dominants). Verdi also uses tremolo 
strings to create tension. Brass is very well 
orchestrated. The opening chorale is just a little 
bit overused in my opinion but I understand 
why he uses it in that way. If it is the main 
“theme” from the opera then it makes sense to 
repeat it between each new section.  

Brahms- Academic Festival Overture  This piece strikes me as being more chord bsed 
than the rest. By that I mean that Brahmns uses 
chords and ambient textures to create interest 
whereas the others that I listen to use more 
traditional melodic techniques. There is also a 
lot more sectional paying instead of tutti 
orchestra. The counterpoint in this almost takes 
on a sort of secondary melody quality which I 
think adds interest. His orchestration is lighter 
than most and I like the way he spaced the 
intervals between the various instruments. In 
my opinion, the more spread out the chord is 
the better it sounds. This piece of music uses 
transitions between sections very effectively.  
Bizet- Carmen  Love this piece. Melodies are catchy and 
masterfully crafted. I think that Bizet’s greatest 
strength was the composition of the melodies. 
His orchestration strikes me as fairly orthodox 
and a little too heavy for my taste. I wish he 
would use horns more because I think they 
would suit his melodies quite well.  

Mussorgsky- Pictures at an Exhibition  Talk about modern, I don’t think any piece like 
this has been done before then, and it is truly a 
masterpiece. It seems like a tone poem to me, 
with various motifs for each “exhibition” and 
they are very distinct but expertly woven 
together to make a homogenous piece. 
Orchestration is not particularly earcathing but 
still well done. This piece breaks all the rules of 
time signatures and chord progressions but 
somehow still manages to sound like a classic 
piece wi=hich is remarkable.  

Vaughan-Williams- E
​ nglish Folk Song  Very military bands like! This piece reminds me 
Suite  a lot of holst. I find that most of the folk song 
  based pieces sound very similar, however I 
think it’s probably fair to say that piece was 
one of the pioneers of that genre. It sounds a 
bit like lincolnshire posy, but the orchestration 
here appears to be lighter, or maybe the 
orchestra just adds some lightness to the 
sound.   

Sibelius- Finlandia  The opening for this is perfect. His orchestration 

and use of modal interchange creates a vibrant 
and beautiful piece. The juxtaposition of the 
beautiful woodwinds with the ominous brass 
choir and strings makes this piece very 
interesting. It’s even more interesting when you 
consider that it’s really based around two 
chords. Very sad and mournful in the beginning 
and breathtaking towards the end. Apparently 
this piece was conceived as tribute towards 
Finland on its 100th year of independence.  

Prokofiev- Peter and the Wolf  I used to listen to this all the time when i was a 
kid. I love it so much. I think Prokofiev 
completely mastered the use of leitmotifs. The 
melodies for each are perfectly characterized 
and I appreciate that this piece is easy for 
 children to understand. I think that the 
connection between musical sounds and 
characteristics are easier for children to 
understand. Orchestration is a little heavy in 
some places but overall it is quite impressive.  

Tchaikovsky 1812 Overture  This piece is very exciting and I think his use of 
the brass, especially in the first half is 
spectacular. Finally, a composer is using the 
brass for what it's meant, and really knows 
each instrument's strengths. I love the way he 
juxtaposes the two themes on top of each 
other, I think it adds a lot of interest. The use of 
the French national anthem is perfectly 
balanced between not enough and too much. 
And of course, the cannons are the best part.  

Respighi- Pines of Rome  I think that Pines of Rome is probably the 

  pinnacle of concert orchestral music. I have 
never heard a piece that impacted me quite the 
same way that this one did. Respighi’s 
orchestration is perfect and his melodies are 
both simple and effective at the same time. 
Dynamics are an effective way to add tension 
and emotion, and I love the way that Respighi 
gives each instrument a different characteristic. 
Ie: Horns, light and jovial, Bassoon, sad and 
lonely, Trumpet, mourning and clear. And of 
course, the 4th movement is probably the best 
ending I have ever heard to a concert piece. I 
remember hearing it live in Boston, and man it 
was so cool.