Life is comprised of highs and lows, memories and friendships, history and culture. To capture the essence of life and vitality in a piece of music is near-impossible. Yet, as the low-brass lays a framework of chords and the strings drive a dynamic, shifting, melody, Antonin Dvorak is able to represent life itself in his piece, Symphony No. 9. When I first heard Symphony No. 9, often described as the New World Symphony, I was looking for a score to play in the background of my studies. It was unbeknownst to me that the score I chose would distract me from my studies due to the shock I experienced at the hands of the orchestra. The emotion exhibited by the performers, the melancholic tone, and the unsettling chords all piqued by interest. …show more content…
These works include Gustav Holst’s The Planets, Mahler’s Second Symphony, and Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man. The New World Symphony was a stepping stone for my musical appetite, the first piece that I connected with emotionally, the various melodies and phrases evolving throughout the piece. Just as life evolves and develops over time. The New World Symphony changed my outlook on the world, revealing that music is a reflection of humanity and that groundbreaking music is successful in packaging an entire life into a series of movements that can be performed in under an