Comparative Analysis of Claudio Monteverdi's "Zefiro Torna" Performances

Early in the history of Western art music, notation was sometimes quite vague and did not specify every aspect of a performance – there were a lot of choices left up to the performers. This means that two modern recordings of the exact same composition may actually vary quite a lot.



For your first longer paper, select a pair of recordings from the options at the bottom of this page, and write a paper explaining some differences between the two recordings. Be specific, detailed, and use the musical features from class wherever possible. Your analyses of these pieces should be entirely your own. You may include outside sources for the background information on the composers or groups, but these must be cited, and this text does NOT count towards your word count.

You will have to listen to the recordings a few times to get to know them properly and compare them closely.



First listen to the two recordings with an ear towards the five musical features outlined in class: 1. meter (duple or triple), 2. mode (major or minor), 3. musical device (ostinato, bass framework or imitation), 4. texture (polyphony, monophony, homophony), 5. instrumentation. Think of the similarities that are consistent through the recordings. Take stock of these similarities and mention them.



Then listen to the differences. While listening, use the following questions to guide your notes on the differences between the recordings:



Answer ALL the questions!



Which option are you using? If you do not make this clear, you automatically lose 5 points.

Outline the five musical features of each of the recordings, making note of any differences between the two recordings. How do these differences, for example in instrumentation/timbre, affect the two recordings? (Tip: search online for the names of the performers to find out who they are, what they specialize in, and about the instruments they play or their voices. BUT, do not spend too much space on this background information at the cost of your musical analysis. Background information DOES NOT count towards the word count. While discussing the recordings in your paper, refer to the two different recordings as “Recording 1” and “Recording 2” to save space.)

For each moment you compare, use time frames to indicate when and what you are talking about. You must use a minimum of 10 time frames for full credit and will automatically lose 5 points if you do not have 10. As with Homework 3, a time frame only counts if you include a beginning and ending timing. Include specific terminology where appropriate (i.e. are there moments you hear a bass framework or ostinato, when are they and are they in major or minor; are there moments where you hear homophony and other where you hear polyphony? where/when are they? etc...)

Are the two recordings at the same pitch? Is one higher/lower than the other? (Tip: listen to the first couple of seconds of each recording to compare them.)

Are the two recordings different speeds? Which is faster/slower? If there is a difference in speed, what effect does this have on the overall feel?

Are there differences in the dynamics, articulations, and/or rhythms?

Are there any substantial differences in the music they play? Does one of the recordings add an introduction, or other additional sections? (Tip: if you are comfortable reading music, search online for a copy of the music and follow it while listening to the two performances.)

Does one recording add more ornaments to the melody lines than the other? If so where does this happen in each recording and can you tell what the performers are adding?

What is the overall difference in mood or effect between the recordings? What of the above elements contribute to this?

Which of the recordings did you prefer, and why?

Formatting



1) Upload your work as a Microsoft Word (doc or docx) file or pdf. No other file types will be accepted.



2) Double space your work and include your full name and Introduction to Music Online: Paper 1 and the Option you selected at the top of the document, and the word count at the bottom of the document (turning on “word count” for the document is not the same as writing the word count at the bottom of your document. (4 points)



3) the word count should be between 801-850