Close and Comparative Listening

Description In this assignment, you will gain experience recognizing and describing musical features (the internal qualities which can be heard in the sound of music) in a musical example from around the world and in music from your own life. Be sure to carefully follow the instructions below and on the course syllabus. The minimum length of this paper is 3 full pages, the maximum is 4 full pages and it is due May 26 at 11:59 PM. Select one musical example from among the following, all of which are accessible through Canvas and/or Spotify (see the course schedule): “Nhemamusasa (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.” [S] “Enta Omri (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.” (part 3) [on YouTube] “Tumba y Bongó (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.” [S] “Agun Agun (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.” [S] “An Island In the Sea (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.,” from The Drunken Concubine [S] Listen to the musical example several times. Then, write a 1-page, prose description of its musical features. Be sure you focus on musical features (the internal qualities which can be heard in the sound of music). Do not write about musical functions (what people use music for); we’ll deal with those in another assignment. Describing the piece’s musical features is not the same thing as deciding whether you like it or not, and this paper doesn’t ask whether it’s a “good” piece of music (that’s a “value judgment”); do not write about those issues. Instead, your task is to simply describe its sound in terms of musical features, using correct and appropriate musical terminology. You should check the textbook to make sure you don’t write something factually incorrect about the piece or where it comes from. But don’t just copy the book’s words into your paper—that’s plagiarism. Instead, put your own observations and ideas into your own words, and cite the book (using Chicago Style (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. footnotes plus a bibliography, doesn’t count as one of the pages of your paper) if you use any of its ideas. Next, select one song from your personal collection (it can come from any genre, style, country, or culture). Listen to it several times and write a 1-page, prose description of its musical features. Finally, write a 1-page, prose summary, comparing/contrasting the features of the pieces analyzed. Be sure your paper follows all the directions (above) and follows all the directions for written assignments as described on the course syllabus, including those pertaining to formatting. Failure to follow directions will result in a lowered grade. Evaluative Criteria: Your paper must… (a) accurately describe musical features while (b) avoiding value judgments, and (c) be written clearly and concisely, without any grammatical, typographical, or other writing errors.