Hector Berlioz: Song Analysis

To compare two pieces of music from different cultures, it is a very difficult thing to do. Not physically, because they have the same components, such as rhythm, melody, and volume, but because they come from different cultures. How does one compare things that are completely different in origin, creation, and again, culture? I believe that the best possible way is to look at this is a mostly subjective manner. That said, I will attempt to do my best by looking at the examining the composition and what it reminded me of at that point in the song. I will then compare and contrast the song.
First I will examine Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath of Symphonie Fantastique by Hector Berlioz but because I believe that it is an extremely important part …show more content…
It had an eerie, yet familiar aura. Like I'd heard it before, but now it had a darker and more menacing tone. It begins with some happier sounding notes, with a background of discordant sound. At fifty-five seconds, there's a run of descending notes that sounds so dark and menacing, it made me think of a descent into hell. It's not a very long run, not even over five seconds, but it's enough to set the tone of the rest of the piece. At one minute and thirty-two seconds, it sounds like chaos with a further background of dissonance among the notes. I believe that this is meant to be the crowd of monsters waiting for the funeral. It’s like the chaos of a crowded street, but a thousand times worse. This further reminded me of how I picture hell, crowded and utter pandemonium. People everywhere, just sheer bedlam. Then at two minutes and thirty-four seconds, it sounds like one base string voice, slowly descending, quiet and alone. I imagine that this is also hell, just a different version. From around three minutes and eighteen seconds to around six minutes, the piece goes from dark and menacing, similar to a funeral dirge and at around three and a half minutes you can clearly hear what sound like church bells for the funeral. Then it sounds like a march to his death, and to his hell. At six minutes and fifty-two seconds it sounds a bit happier with a darker background. I picture this as the “Artist” having a …show more content…
This is a prayer to a goddess about her beauty and mercy. To me the beginning sounded disconnected and a bit bouncy without much connection between the notes. At one minute and twenty seconds the piece slowly starts becoming more intricate. Then at three minutes and twenty-three seconds the music and the music becomes more layered and closer together. It also begins to pull certain notes out of the texture which was interesting, after the first few minutes of slower music with a random beat. Although after about five minutes of the music my mind began to wander to other things. I found this intriguing because when I listened to the other piece I didn’t have a problem with keeping my mind on the piece. I’m not sure if it’s because I enjoyed the story behind the Symphonie Fantastique more, or if I was just more used to the European style. The piece then alternates between disconnected and together. Then at seven minutes and twenty-four seconds it sounds like it’s patterned in a one-three-four pattern then begins to decrescendo and then crescendos back up and then sounded a lot surer of itself. In a pretty cool effect I began to hear a drum beat that was being hit by hand at nine minutes and thirty seconds but when I rewound the music I realized that it actually began at eight minutes and forty two seconds but it came in at a pianissimo and was covered by the other sounds and as it slowly crescendoed I eventually noticed it