Research Your Favorite Instrument on the Web free essay sample

he purpose of this assignment is to develop critical thinking in your approach to researching your instrument of choice on the web. You may choose from any of the instruments mentioned in the course. For this assignment you are asked to SUMMARIZE or CRITIQUE the various features of each of the ten web sites NOT to simply copy and paste information directly from each site into your submission. Please dont just list a lot of historical or biographical information. You should describe each of the ten sites and discuss the various interactive and web features of each one. You can think of this assignment as if you were writing a review or critique of the 10 different sites. Here are some things for you to consider as you summarize each of the ten sites: Why did you choose the site and what features distinguish it from others? Are there audio links or interesting links to other sites? How is the site organized? What were the topics covered in the site? Are there interactive media links that demonstrate various features of the instrument? What did you learn from your research? Im not particularly interested in seeing how cleverly you can rewrite historical information or how well you can paraphrase an entry from a Wikipedia composer biography. Hopefully, your research will go well beyond typing in keywords in the Wikipedia search engine! B. Process Decide which instrument you are going to research. The choice of an instrument should be made in order to allow the most time for research. Do research on the selected instrument: Research two (2) sites in each of the five categories in (A) above. Submit the 10 sites you have come up with in your research, along with a paragraph for each category summarizing their features and why you chose them. Written Work: History and/or Manufacturers: Information about well-known makers and the instruments history. If you choose the voice, you can obviously skip the manufacturers, and concentrate on the history. 1, Steinway Piano,madin in Steinway amp; Sons Website: http://www. steinway. com History: Steinway amp; Sons, also known as Steinway , is an American and German manufacturer of handmade pianos, and subcontracted pianos from suppliers sold under secondary names. Steinway was founded 1853 in Manhattan in New York City by German immigrant Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg (later Henry E. Steinway). The companys growth led to the opening of a factory and company town in what is now the Astoria section of Queens in New York City and a factory in Hamburg, Germany. Steinway is a prominent piano company,known for making pianos of high quality and for its influential inventions within the area of piano development. The company holds a royal warrant by appointment to Queen Elizabeth II. Steinway pianos have been recognized with numerous awards. One of the first official recognitions was a gold medal won in 1855 at the American Institute Fair at the New York Crystal Palace just two years after the companys foundation. In 1855–62 Steinway pianos received 35 gold medals. Several awards and recognitions have followed, including 3 medals at the 1867 Exposition Universelle in Paris. Steinway has been granted 126 patents in piano making; the first patent was achieved in 1857. Most of the patents have expired. Other than the expensive Steinway amp; Sons piano brand, Steinway markets two less expensive brands: Boston for the mid-level market and Essex for the entry-level market. The Boston and Essex pianos are made using low-cost components and labor and are produced in Asia by other piano manufacturers. And now, Steinway is dedicated to the ideal of making the finest pianos in the world. The result is instruments renowned for their unsurpassed quality. Pianos with such superior sound and responsive touch that they enchant the most demanding pianists. 2, Stradivari violin, made in Antonio Stradivari Website: http://www. gabrielenatali. it History: Antonio Stradivari (1644 – 18 December 1737) was an Italian luthier and a crafter of string instruments such as violins, cellos, guitars, violas, and harps. Stradivari is generally considered the most significant and greatest artisan in this field. The Latinized form of his surname, Stradivarius, as well as the colloquial, Strad, is often used to refer to his instruments. It is estimated that he made 1,000 to 1,100 instruments and that around 650 of these instruments have survived including 450 to 512 violins. Stradivaris instruments are regarded as amongst the finest bowed stringed instruments ever created, are highly prized, and are still played by professionals today. Only one other maker, Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesu, commands a similar respect among violinists. However, neither blind listening tests nor acoustic analysis have ever demonstrated that Stradivarius instruments are better than other high-quality instruments or even reliably distinguishable from them. Fashions in music, as in other things, have changed over the centuries, and the supremacy of Stradivaris and Guarneris instruments is accepted only today. In the past, instruments by Nicolo Amati and Jacob Stainer were preferred for their subtle sweetness of tone. While the usual label for a Stradivarius instrument, whether genuine or false, uses the traditional Latin inscription, after the McKinley Tariff Act of 1890, copies were also inscribed with the country of origin. Since thousands of instruments are based on Stradivaris models and bear the same name as his models, many unwary people are deceived into purchasing forged Stradivarius instruments, which can be avoided by having an instrument authenticated. Many violinists and cellists use Stradivari instruments in their work. Yo-Yo Ma currently uses the Davidov Stradivarius,Julian Lloyd Webber employs the Barjansky Stradivarius. Famous Performers: This one is quite self-evident. You are not restricted to any particular period or style. For example, if you favorite instrument is guitar, you can choose Eric Clapton and John Williams. Famous Piano Performer: Lang Lang Website: http://www. langlang. com. cn In this website,I got that Lang Lang is a Chinese concert pianist, I from China too! LOL! And currently residing in New York, who has performed with leading orchestras in Europe, the United States and his native China. He is increasingly well known around the world for his concert performances, television appearances, albums and soundtracks. Lang has done much to encourage children and young musicians to take an interest in classical music, especially through the international foundation he launched in New York in 2008. He is really a great person! I heard that he had play the piano at 5am,he also said when he was a boy, I didnt spend so much time with her, so now I really like her with me. My mum stayed at home for years, working, so now its time for her to see the world. I was touched! So I like LangLangs website,like piano than before! Famous Violinist Performer: Yehudi Menuhin Wensite: http://www. menuhin. org From this website,I known that Yehudi Menuhin was an American violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in the United Kingdom. He is often considered to be one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century. Also,Yehudi Menuhin was born in New York City, United States, to Jewish parents from what is now Belarus. His sisters were the concert pianist and human rights worker Hephzibah Menuhin and the pianist, painter, and poet Yaltah Menuhin. Through his father Moshe Menuhin, a former rabbinical student and anti-Zionist writer, Menuhin was descended from a distinguished rabbinical dynasty. Menuhin began violin instruction at age four under violinist Sigmund Anker; his parents had wanted Louis Persinger to be his teacher, but Persinger refused. In 1929 he played in Berlin, under Bruno Walters baton, three concerti by Bach, Brahms and Beethoven. In 1932 e recorded Edward Elgars Violin Concerto in B minor for HMV in London, with the composer himself conducting, and between 1934 and 1936 he made the first integral recording of Johann Sebastian Bachs Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin. So he is my fav Violinist Performer! Famous composers: Another self-evident one. Again, you are not restricted to any particular period or style. One example from the class is the Leonard Bernstein site at the Libra ry of Congress. Did Bernstein, for example, write any pieces for your favorite instrument? Famous Piano Composers: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Website: http://www. classicfm. com/composers/mozart/music/ From this website, I learned Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was not only one of the greatest composers of the Classical period, but one of the greatest of all time. Surprisingly, he is not identified with radical formal or harmonic innovations, or with the profound kind of symbolism heard in some of Bachs works. Mozarts best music has a natural flow and irresistible charm, and can express humor, joy or sorrow with both conviction and mastery. His operas, especially his later efforts, are brilliant examples of high art, as are many of his piano concertos and later symphonies. Even his lesser compositions and juvenile works feature much attractive and often masterful music. Mozart was the last of seven children, of whom five did not survive early childhood. By the age of three he was playing the clavichord, and at four he began writing short compositions. Young Wolfgang gave his first public performance at the age of five at Salzburg University, and in January, 1762, he performed on harpsichord for the Elector of Bavaria. There are many astonishing accounts of the young Mozarts precocity and genius. At the age of seven, for instance, he picked up a violin at a musical gathering and sight-read the second part of a work with complete accuracy, despite his never having had a violin lesson. In the years 1763 1766, Mozart, along with his father Leopold, a composer and musician, and sister Nannerl, also a musically talented child, toured London, Paris, and other parts of Europe, giving many successful concerts and performing before royalty. The Mozart family returned to Salzburg in November 1766. The following year young Wolfgang composed his first opera, Apollo et Hyacinthus. Keyboard concertos and other major works were also coming from his pen now. In 1769, Mozart was appointed Konzertmeister at the Salzburg Court by the Archbishop. Beginning that same year, the Mozarts made three tours of Italy, where the young composer studied Italian opera and produced two successful efforts, Mitridate and Lucio Silla. In 1773, Mozart was back in Austria, where he spent most of the next few years composing. He wrote all his violin concertos between 1774 and 1777, as well as Masses, symphonies, and chamber works. In 1780, Mozart wrote his opera Idomeneo, which became a sensation in Munich. After a conflict with the Archbishop, Mozart left his Konzertmeister post and settled in Vienna. He received a number of commissions now and took on a well-paying but unimportant Court post. In 1782 Mozart married Constanze Weber and took her to Salzburg the following year to introduce her to his family. 1782 was also the year that saw his opera Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail staged with great success. In 1784, Mozart joined the Freemasons, apparently embracing the teachings of that group. He would later write music for certain Masonic lodges. In the early- and mid-1780s, Mozart composed many sonatas and quartets, and often appeared as soloist in the fifteen piano concertos he wrote during this period. Many of his commissions were for operas now, and Mozart met them with a string of masterpieces. Le nozze di Figaro came 1786, Don Giovanni in 1787, Cosi fan tutte in 1790 and Die Zauberflote in 1791. Mozart made a number of trips in his last years, and while his health had been fragile in previous times, he displayed no serious condition or illness until he developed a fever of unknown origin near the end of 1791.