Download Music appreciation Project (Online Class) Bret Wilcken 05/04/2014

Music appreciation Project (Online Class)
Bret Wilcken
05/04/2014
John Adams Biography
John Adams is known as one of the most popular and most preformed
composers in America. John Adams was born in February 15, 1947 In Worchester,
Massachusetts. He was raised in various New England states where he was influenced
by much of New England music. His music obsession all started when Adams father
taught me how to play the clarinet as a child. Adams started composing music at the
age of ten, and heard his first orchestra piece at 14 years old.
In 1965 John Adams studied at Harvard University where he earned two
degrees (BA 1971, MA 1972) while he attended Harvard he conducted the Batch
Society Orchestra, and attendance to Boston Symphony orchestra, which help formed
his career as a composer. Adams was the first Harvard student to submit a musical
composition as a senior honors thesis. His compositions strongly influenced
minimalism, became tempered by expressive elements.
After earning his two degrees from Harvard he moved to Northern California in
1971, where he then resides in San Francisco 1972 to teach at The San Francisco
Conservatory of Music until 1984. While Adams was at the Conservatory in San
Francisco he also worked at an electronic music studio and conductor of New
Ensemble. In 1978 he founded and directed the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra’s
series “New and Unusual Music”, and was a composer for the orchestra from 19821985.
While being a composer at the Carnegie Hall in New York he founded the
eclectic and diverse “In your Ear” festival. Adams throughout his career development,
he conducted performances of music of his own and others, with working with
organizations like Chicago symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, The
Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam, and the London Symphony Orchestra.
Produced world-wide, Nixon in China (1984-1987) and the Death of a Klinghoffer (19001991) was some of the most played operas in the last two decades.
John Adams still composes today with his most recent work City Noir (2009) for
orchestra. He also composed “On the Transmigration of Souls” (2002). This piece
commemorates those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
It won the 2003 Pulitzer prize for Music as well as the 2005 Grammy award for Best
Contemporary Composition. Adams was the only composer to have been awarded
three times, previously won the award for El Dorado (1998) and Nixon in China (1989).
Some of John Adams music that he created are:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Tv3hrZmcEk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVbrriSUkoQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RAE3fsDz0I
History Music of John Adams
Some of John Adams most famous work includes “Short Ride in a Fast Machine
(1986), On the Transmigration of Souls (2002), this piece commemorating the victims of
the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, this piece won the Pulitzer Prize in 2003. His
most known operas include Nixon in China (1987), which recounts Richard Nixon’s
1972 visit to china.
Adams began writing “On the Transmigration of Souls” piece in January 2002.
This piece tribute for the victims of the September 11th terrorist attacks on the world
trade centers in New York City. The piece was premiered by the New York Philharmonic
on September 19, 2002 at Avery fisher Hall. It was about 25 minutes long. Adam
received the Pulitzer Prize in 2003 for this piece.
Adams first opera was Nixon in China (1987). This piece was inspired by U.S
President Richard Nixon’s Visit to China in 1972. The Opera was premiered at the
Houston Grand Opera on October 22, 1987. After the first premiere, the opera received
mixed reviews, some critics didn’t like that work and thought that it shouldn’t be played
anymore. However it has been played on many occasions since, it was played in both
Europe and North America, and has been recorded twice. In 2011, the opera received
its Metropolitan Opera debut, in the same year it was given an abstract production in
Toronto by the Canadian Opera Company.
Listening Guide to John Adams
John Adams has songs from Opera to Orchestra. John Adams first instrument
that he learned to play was a flute as a young child. He can hear a lot of Vocal parts in
his Opera pieces. In his Orchestra you can hear everything from the flute, to violins, to
some drums. The piece “On the Transmigration of Souls” you can hear vocal with a
mixture of violins, chillo’s, flutes, and even some electronic at the beginning. In Nixon in
China opera you can really hear the trumpets, drums, and tuba.
Because John Adams writes a lot of operas you are going to hear a lot of vocal in
his writings. You can hear the saxophone played throughout the play. John Adams was
interest with putting a lot of parts with the piano. You can hear them playing the piano.
The part “I am the wife of Mao Tse-tung” you hear mostly vocal singing in this part. In
the background however you can hear the trumpets playing. You can also really hear
the piano playing throughout this scene. At minute 2:40 you can really hear the tuba
playing and right before 3:00 you can hear the drums going off. I believe over all you
can really hear the vocals in the piece, same as the piano, as well as the trumpets.
Adams wrote the huge three-movement orchestral piece that replays the expressive
power of late romanticism.
John Adams opera Nixon in china, you can hear flutes at 0:00 on Act I Scene 1
at 0:41 you can hear the drums in the background hitting. At 0:48 you can hear trumpets
and clarinets playing. At 1:41 is when the instruments really die down and the vocals
start playing. At 1:52 you can hear a key board playing in the background. 2:23 you can
hear the violins playing while one of the singers is singing.
REFERENCES
http://www.earbox.com/biography
http://johnadamscomposer.com/
http://www.musicsalesclassical.com/composer/short-bio/10
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Adams_(composer)