West Side Story By Leonard Bernstein: Music Analysis

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While listening to this piece, I felt like I had butterflies in my stomach, same as feeling nervous. This was because during some parts of the music, it was very dramatic. This is one of the reasons why I like it. It made me feel like I’ve did something that deserves recognition. The music also created a scenario that sounded like a situation that was bad, that had gotten better over time. In addition to there being dramaticness, there are also some parts of the piece that sounded like victory music. Although the music was loud, I love how it blends in with the softer notes. It goes along very well and smoothly which keeps the music going.
I think this piece could be composed for an accomplishment of someone. It would suit the situation very well because it is loud and victorious but has some softness into it. A possible period for this piece may be a time where things in America aren’t doing so well. For example, the Great Depression which lasted from 1929 through 1939. It was the worst economic turn-down America has experienced. …show more content…

During the year of 1961, the cold war grew worse with the USSR releasing large bombs during testing. America sent the military to Germany which caused the Americans and Russians to declare war against each other. The chaos happening during this time period matches the circumstances of this music. The dramatic parts in the music could represent that war is about to start and things aren’t looking good. However, the victory parts of this piece may show that the war has ended and peace has been