ipl-logo

Threnody To The Victims Of Hiroshima Analysis

892 Words4 Pages

Successful composers manipulate the musical elements to portray military conflict and emotional impact. A polish composer, Krzysztof Penderecki, composed an experimental piece titled Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima in 1960. The piece is composed for 52 stringed instruments and depicts the horror and tragedy of Hiroshima. The composer is successful in its ability to manipulate the musical elements, expressive devices, pitch and timbre, to portray the military conflict and emotional impact of Hiroshima. Expressive devices is one of the musical elements which emphasise Penderecki’s purpose if evoking emotions relating to military conflict. In section 3 the violas begin playing very loud at ff. After this the other instrument groups have delayed …show more content…

Section 1 begins with instruments having delayed entries playing their highest pitch. On the graphic score the instruments are told to play the highest note on the instrument. This high pitch at the beginning of the song creates agitation. This is because high pitched stringed instruments have a screeching or screaming like sound. This is what the first section of the composition sounds like. This part of the piece creates an image of tension and horror in the audience’s mind. In section 2 of the piece, there are clusters of notes seen in the score. These clusters of notes create a dissonance sound. This is most apparent at 2:09 to 2:14, where the double bass are playing a cluster of notes. This dissonance sound evokes an image of dread of the crimes against humanity as thousands of people die. The cacophony effect assists in portraying an image of unnatural, horrid events, exactly like the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Also in section 2, it is heard that the violins play at a very high register at 3:00. This high pitched violin playing creates a screeching and screaming sound similar to the beginning of the piece. This unusually high pitch depicts images of horror and screams into the listeners mind. Penderecki’s use of pitch has effectively portrayed the emotional impact of military

Show More
Related
649 Words | 3 Pages

This description of the sounds is giving the readers a look at what will be happening later in the

Read More
575 Words | 3 Pages

Among his many great compositions, his piece “Chant, Op 12, No. 1 "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen" is one that has influenced many individuals. The form of the song starts softly with the low pitches of the piano and then the violin accompanies it. Around two minutes into the song, the pitches of the violin changes to very high pitched for about forty seconds, and then the song goes back to its normal texture until the song ends. The texture of the song is polyphonic. As the violin is the instrument that is the main instrument in this piece, the piano accompanies it with its harmony of low and high pitches.

Read More
1568 Words | 7 Pages

The use short, blunt sentences reflects the scene as the protagonist is receiving constant, direct punches (Radford 1). And the violent yelling of the white men during this scene reflect the violence occurring in the boxing ring. It is at these times, where a lot of action is occurring, that the abrasive noise overshadows the protagonist. Here is almost impossible to truly see what the protagonist is feeling and thinking about the scene before, besides his own obvious fears. Battle Royal also consists of the repetition of the clarinet, specifically in an erotic manner.

Read More
831 Words | 4 Pages

Composers have the ability to influence how we the audience views and responds to characters and issues. Through viewing and analysing ‘The Shoe Horn Sonata’ by John Misto and ‘Saving Private Ryan’ directed by Steven Spielberg, it is obvious that composers have the ability to impact and influence our views on characters and issues that occur. Shoe Horn Sonata and Saving Private Ryan were set in the same context of World War 2. John Misto’s Shoe Horn Sonata takes place during the war against Japan, the play focus on the lives of two women Bridie and Sheila who have been captured by the Japanese to become (POW) prisoners of war. John Misto’s play was based on real accounts from POWs, the play was to commemorate the female POWS who story was unheard of and to give an insight to the audience into what the POWs had to endure while under the japanese rule.

Read More
1409 Words | 6 Pages

In this particular sequence there is only a faint sound effect of a ding when Tyler enters the room which can predict the confrontation that is about to happen within the sequence. The communication between father and son is very intense and proves how strained their relationship is. The diegetic sound of Charles helps shows the reality the characters are living in. The non-diegetic mysterious sound starts when Tyler bursts into the conference room. The music truly helps to sets the mood of what is going to happen.

Read More
1049 Words | 5 Pages

It just goes to demonstrate how inhumane the Nazis were. While the prisoners in this barrack are being pushed to their limits and are on the inch of their lives, Juliek longs for his violin valuing his identity and passion. All of the prisoners are squashed on top of each other when Juliek starts playing a

Read More
1104 Words | 5 Pages

This idea was an interesting start, because it caught the audience’s attention to really listen to what was going to happen next. Then the song, went into a lighter more atmospheric section, where there were many crescendos and decrescendos. The instruments in the piece included the chimes, maracas, timpani,

Read More
1217 Words | 5 Pages

This act consists of capturing images on film that are unappealing and peculiar, and transforming them into beautiful artwork and giving them the spotlight. Despite the fact that the background music was supposed to flow with the scenes and capture the audience into the film, it did the opposite and distracted the audience. Also, the music was not coordinated with the film because at one point the background music, especially the violin playing got weird in a scene that had nothing to do with that feeling, which detracted from the scene in the film. It was also creating this tension where there is none and building confusion upon the

Read More
1129 Words | 5 Pages

In this point of my analysis, I deal with the scene that one could argue most enriches the main subject of the story, namely hope. In this scene that is created by Darabont, Andy, who is at Norton 's office to receive some used books and sundries for the prison 's library, locks the guard in the bathroom and then starts playing a recording of ‘Canzonettasull 'aria’ from the opera The Marriage of Figaro. As Verstraten argues, filmmakers use music as narrative tool(153) that not only challenges the audience 's emotions but also carries the theme of the movie. In this scene the music is intradiegetic since Andy connects the public speaker system to the record player so that all of the prisoners can hear the music. In her book Music in American Crime Prevention and Punishment, Lily Hirsch explains that this scene “also highlights another utopia musical ascription related to the contested idea that music is a universal language” since all the prisoners are feeling connected, enjoying the music while hope is revived within their

Read More
769 Words | 4 Pages

It brought a sense of suspense, with the opening bass drum so loud and firm, the audience jumped a little in their seats. You could envision war while listening to this piece, the stage was the battle field, the left side of the orchestra was the Axis Power, the right side was the Allies and the bass drum were the drummer boy. Fanfare for the Common Man was well put together, the orchestra sounded good even

Read More
746 Words | 3 Pages

The introduction of the piece is the same as that of “The Raiders March”, but with strings playing in the background. The A melody begins with the trumpet as the strings fade out (0:07). The first minute and a half of the song is played the same as that of “The Raiders March”, though due to differing sound equalization, some parts stick out more or less than they do in the original. For example, in the third repetition of the A melody, one can more clearly hear the xylophone accompanying the melody here than in “The Raiders March”. The piece begins to differ more significantly after the break following the third repetition of the A melody when the piece modulates down a half step instead of up like in the original (1:37).

Read More
411 Words | 2 Pages

There were several loud and intense parts in this piece, but there were also quiet and suspenseful parts. This piece has a quick tempo, with a few slow

Read More
557 Words | 3 Pages

Early in the film, the importance of background music and its use can be seen. The music is used to create the mood, whether it be the eerie violin audio that often can be heard at times where suspense is anticipated or the same music to create sorrow for the overall significance of the film. The film being built upon a murder case creates fury and differing viewpoints between the main characters which often can be related to prejudice. The use of details not only makes the murder more interesting but also the overall scene more intense. The detailed dialogue among the characters is so precise it offers minute details such as the witness statement of the time of the crime, the entry way of the weapon, and the witness testifying without her glasses.

Read More
590 Words | 3 Pages

From beginning to end, I am captivated by the music. Each element brings a unique character to the overall piece. The music takes the listener on a suspenseful journey. The arrangement of the song gives me a visual of someone stumbling upon a dark forest and begins to hear the fast-approaching movement of something behind them. The pairing of several melodic phrases throughout the composition adds to the sense of chaos and turbulence.

Read More
1644 Words | 7 Pages

This Chaconne begins with a singing violin melody almost beguiling in its character, with a natural sense of ebb and flow that traverses numerous episodes. With the addition of double stops and chordal textures, the intensity gradually rises until it reaches the breaking point where the violin charges forward through a frenetic, virtuosic passage. The tension and register continue to rise to the point where the violin sounds as if it is screeching. The drama resolves in the brief coda as the frantic energy unwinds and the violin fades away into the

Read More

More about Threnody To The Victims Of Hiroshima Analysis

Related Topics

Open Document