reflection 3

Reaction Paper 3 Directions

Click on both links an Listen to Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67 here:

https://youtu.be/yKl4T5BnhOA

And watch live performances:

https://youtu.be/1lHOYvIhLxo

Now write a reaction paper on the musical piece. Imagine that you have taken on the task of making a video about your own life, set to this music.  Describe the scenes in the video.  (It can be four separate stories from your own life, with a movement for each, or one story in four parts, with a movement for each part.)  

Start with an introductory paragraph. Give a brief overview statement of the paper’s contents as spelled out below, identifying the composition and composer by name, and summarily previewing the key points of the paragraphs to follow.

Like most symphonies, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 is in four movements.  Since there are four movements to the symphony, after the intro paragraph write four substantive paragraphs, each explaining the scene associated with that movement of the symphony, and how the elements of music as found in Kamien and used in the movement of the symphony would fit the emotions and events of the scene.  

Tip: shoot for a 50/50 balance of attention and detail between details about the music—the way it uses the elements (tempo, meter, dynamics, modality [major/minor], harmonic tension [consonant/dissonant], timbre, texture [which “-phonic” word], and form)—and how each connects with the personal details it evokes in your hearing. Don’t start the paragraph with something like “this movement’s upbeat pace reminded me of…” and then spend the rest of it telling your personal story with no more reference to the music’s details.

That said, there is no one "right" answer, only answers that show you understand the elements of music as they are used in each the four movements of the symphony, and answers that show you don’t.

Be sure to include at least two resources. The sources should be properly referenced in APA format.