Music 109 The Music of the Beatles Analytical Paper
Humanities
music of 3 Beatle songs
,
ideally from different periods in the group’s stylistic development (see
page
3 of this document
for a “safe”
song list
from which
you may
choose
and their categories).
Write about what
you hear
:
c
onsider words AND music
and their interaction
equally
,
as the song unfolds from beginning to
end
.
Concentrate
on how a song’s message is conveyed by different musical techniques.
Incorporate musical
concepts and terms from the course text
that specifically describe what is going
on;
avoid vague descriptors
like “flowing/
upbeat/catchy,” etc.
If needed, refer back to the lessons (especially Lesson
s
2 and
5) for ideas on
how you might approach talking about musical aspects (such as the discussions of melody, harmony, key,
instrumentation,
form, timbre, texture, meter, rhythm, special effects, etc.), plus the interaction of words and
music.
By interaction of the words and music, I am referring to
how the use of music elements listed above
enhances the meaning and emotions associated with th
e song’s lyrics
. For instance, a fast tempo with
strongly articulated rhythms could suggest
a
lively,
excited,
or anxious feeling being portrayed in the song’s
lyrics. A slower
tempo
song in a minor key could suggest a melancholy mood associated wi
th the text. Even
high or low pitches could correspond to something mentioned as being high or low in the lyrics
—
word painting
like this has been used for centuries (e.g., “falling in love”). It is
particularly important
to
take what you have
learned and apply it
independently to songs with which you are not familiar.
Such independent research
and application is a vital part of the learning process.
T
h
is
paper is your oppor
tunity
to demonstrate how well you have learned
to deeply
think ab
out and
listen
mindfully
to music,
an
d
then be able to expre
ss
what you hea
r
by
using
course
terms and c
oncepts.
To
find out what songs are covered in the course, just scroll through the Outline on the Course Website
.
