Assignment 3: Music Listening Activity.
- Porgy and Bess is an important contribution to American music. This is because it was the first American Opera that was widely successful. The main objective of the artist was to bring African American ideologies into classical music in America. The Opera was of great help to many singers who were now able to launch their careers. The opera set the standards that are followed by all American theater works.
- Gershwin employs several music elements in the opera thus making his audience believe the drama. The music reflects mainly his New York jazz roots. Southern black traditions are also drawn into the music. The other influences on orchestration and composition are the European composers. These include those that their music was studied and absorbed after being studied by Gershwin. In his performance, Gershwin is so lively and ensures that the audience is involved to enable them to believe the drama.
- Pop is a style of music that is played on electronic instruments. It usually consists of short songs that have simple tunes and a strong beat making them easy to remember. The style of the opera Porgy and Bess can be compared to that of a modern-day pop style performance of an African American singer to determine which is more appealing in this case. The performance of Kanye West, “No More Parties In LA” can be put in context. The theme in the first half of the track is friendship. It also tries to bring it out on the consequences that one faces in their relationship when they become famous. The performance of this song is praised by the audience as it is short and has simple tunes. It also involves the use of electronic instruments thus attracting the attention of the audience as it relates to modern-day. I would choose this performance as compared to that of the opera.