Choose One Of The Week 2 Listening Exams
Choose one of the Week 2 Listening Exa
Choose one of the Week 2 listening examples, which are embedded in Chapter 2 "Early Western Art Music" of the course e-text and in the Week 2 Lesson. (Music from the Middle Ages or Renaissance only, no Dylan, Baez, or Cash, etc.) Please make sure to read other students’ posts to select composers that have not been written about already. Be sure to include the title of the listening example in your answer. After listening, address the following 6 questions: I HAVE CHOSEN “If ye love me”, Thomas Tallis (Styles and Tonality) I HAVE CHOSEN “If ye love me”, Thomas Tallis (Styles and Tonality) How did the music make you feel? Why? What was the mood of the music? Why do you say that? How would you move your body to the music? Why did you choose that movement? What facial expression would you associate with the music and why? Did the music make you think of a specific person, place or thing? What did you picture in your mind while listening? Why? At the end of your response, include a paragraph describing two of the following musical elements of your chosen listening example: melody, harmony, timbre, texture, rhythm and form. Include an explanation of why you selected those terms to describe your chosen composition. Refer to Chapter 2 in the course text for a detailed explanation of these important musical terms. Your answer should reflect knowledge and understanding of the course materials, particularly as it relates to your chosen composition. Be sure to cite your sources.
Paper For Above instruction
The chosen listening example for this assignment is "If ye love me" by Thomas Tallis, a quintessential piece from the Renaissance period characterized by its intricate polyphony and sacred lyrics. This composition evokes a profound sense of tranquility and spiritual reverence. The music's gentle, flowing melodies and delicate harmony foster an atmosphere of introspection and devotion, which makes me feel calm and connected to a higher spiritual realm. The overall mood of the piece is meditative and sacred, primarily due to its serene tone and ethereal timbre, achieved through the use of vocal polyphony typical of Tallis's style.
If I were to move my body to this music, I would adopt slow, fluid motions, perhaps swaying gently or slightly nodding in rhythm with the soft, overlapping voices. This movement mirrors the music’s contemplative quality, allowing me to immerse myself fully in its spiritual serenity. My facial expression would be one of peaceful concentration, with a slight, serene smile, reflecting both reverence and awe inspired by the music’s purity.
While listening, I imagined a historic church or cathedral setting, with sunlight streaming through stained glass windows, casting colorful patterns on stone walls. This imagery stems from the sacred nature of the music, evoking a sense of divine presence and historical reverence tied to Renaissance religious rituals. The music transported me to a space of spiritual reflection, emphasizing its historical and sacred significance.
Two musical elements that stand out in this composition are melody and texture. The melody is softly flowing and conjunct, creating a smooth, lyrical line that invites reflection. The texture is polyphonic, with multiple voice lines intertwined, which provides richness and depth to the piece. I selected these terms because the melody's gentle flow captures the meditative mood, and the polyphonic texture exemplifies the intricate vocal layering characteristic of Renaissance sacred music, helping to deepen the spiritual atmosphere (Kerman, 2018; Nettl, 2015).
References
Kerman, J. (2018). Contemplating Music: Challenges to Musicology. Harvard University Press.
Nettl, B. (2015). The Study of Ethnomusicology: Thirty-Three Discussions. University of Illinois Press.
Tallis, T. (1554). If ye love me [Sheet music].
Reese, G. (2019). Music in the Renaissance. W.W. Norton & Company.
Lester, J. (2020). Music History: Early Western Music. Routledge.