Thursday, December 26, 2019

The Origins Of The Percussion Family - 1310 Words

Examining the Origins of the Percussion Family To get a clear view of the origins of the percussion family, one should first have to the ability to classify the plethora of instruments. For the sake of this document we will use the broad classification of Janissary instruments and non-Janissary instruments. The Janissary instruments find their roots in the Turkish military bands of the Ottoman Empire. The term Janissary refers to the Turkish Yeà ±i-à §eri, or â€Å"new troops†. Sultan Orkhan I, of the Ottoman Empire, created The Janissaries, but his successor, Murad I, officially established the corps circa 1360’s CE. They were originally an elite corps of troops made up of the Sultan’s loyal slaves. The corps eventually picked up the use of†¦show more content†¦This is most likely the influence of the Crusades that would have brought Arabic culture, albeit in a violent way, to Europe. Timpani, as aforementioned, hold an intrinsically military tradition. Because of its use in the Turkish armies, the Europe borrowed the instrument in its armies. These influences can be seen in the earliest uses of timpani. The timpani that were taken from the Arabs were made into an essential element of prestige for the nobility. During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries both trumpeters and kettle drummer were restricted to only those of high rank or nobility. This lead to the creation of an exclusive guild to train the instrumentalists. This lead to a surplus of players, especially after the last failed Siege of Vienna in 1683 CE. Due to this surplus, the Classical period, when timpani were used on a regular basis, began to use timpani in a limited fashion. In combination with the trumpets, the timpani mostly played rhythmically driving music. This is best observed in Handel’s Messiah. During the Hallelujah Chorus the trumpets and timpani can be easily heard playing the same material. This pairing is not coincidental, both instruments had a high amount of military background during the time of Handel. So, the pairing would have observed that military tradition, but this military tradition followed the Eastern custom of pairing trumpet with timpani. It is important to note that this trend among the Classical composers to use timpaniShow MoreRelated History of Percussion Instruments Essay926 Words   |  4 PagesHistory of Percussion Instruments There are few certainties about the percussion family. No one can say how many instruments it contains; few have agreed on playing techniques; and few could name one orchestral piece specifically written with percussion in mind. However, one thing is certain, percussion has been shown over time that it is not merely a matter of beating out rhythm (â€Å" History of Percussion† 1). The family of percussion instruments is the first musical instrumentationRead MoreThe Musical Exploration Of Isms1770 Words   |  8 Pageswhat we are.† Percussion is one of the oldest instrument families and has grown to a degree of vast importance in all forms of modern Western music. Namely, this is because of the incorporation of percussion into both academia and entertainment music. At first, percussion was introduced into Western Classical music during the Classical period, as a means of getting exotic and unusual sounds for composers; however, the twentieth century works brought a unique gravitation to percussion. Twentieth centuryRead MoreMusic Class Under The Instruction And Supervision Of Mr. Gonzales1925 Words   |  8 Pagesscary and suspenseful mood. Percussion instruments are hit, shook, or rubbed to make music. Percussion instruments can be tuned or untuned. The timpani drums, also known as kettle drums, are an example of a percussion instrument; it is made of metal. The gong is another percussion instr ument that is a type of cymbal and is untuned. Maracas are also a percussion instruments because sound is made by shaking them and are untuned, as well. The voice can also be a percussion through beat-boxing, makingRead MoreHistory of Percussion Essay3972 Words   |  16 PagesPercussion is known to have been around since the beginning of civilization, in all cultures and all major civilizations around the world. In 6000 B.C., the first time of a percussion instrument was evolved, and it was simply anything that could be found that could be hit together to create a sound. Percussion instruments have been used and associated with strong ceremonial, sacred, or symbolic events. For example, in Africa, drums symbolize and protect tribal royalty. The drums symbolize a familyRead MoreOrigins Of The Middle Eastern Dance1181 Words   |  5 PagesSharqi stems from older dances. It is known to be one of the world’s oldest dances with theories relating it to ancient dances in Mesopota mia, Egypt, Greece, Persia, India and other ancient civilizations. Middle Eastern dance have many histories and origins. It is possible that this dance can be traced back to Mesopotamia where temples engraving depicting dancers have been found. These same types of depiction have been found on temples in Egypt dating back to 1000 B.C. and in Greece. It is whisperedRead MoreEssay on Traditional Russian Folk Instruments1518 Words   |  7 Pagesbasically flat, with a small round sound hole near the narrow top of the belly; a long, narrow neck; and three gut or metal strings, normally plucked with the fingers (a leather plectrum is sometimes used with metal strings). A member of the guitar family, this instrument is sometimes called the Russian lute. The balalaika is built in six different sizes, from the piccolo to the contrabass. When all the different sizes are used at the same time, a balalaika orchestra is formed. Typically, theRead MoreCaribbean Music1076 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction: Caribbean music originated from the Caribbean Islands, also known as the West Indies, and is a mixture of West African and European predominantly Spanish influences. The music has its origin when West African slaves were brought to Caribbean Island. They composed music with the help of percussion instruments like drums, bells and shakers. The music had unique musical style elements with special tempo-setting rhythms created by claves or bells, multi-layered and syncopated rhythms and songsRead MoreThe Native American Culture Of Native Americans1335 Words   |  6 Pagesnation has they own special festivals and music, and Native American is no exception. First, the native music related many aspects such as ritual, life and work. They like to combine music with dance, and the Native American music always created rich percussion instruments. For example, the hand drum, log drum, water drum and rattle, etc. Powwow is an important festival and ritual for the Native American, and it is a symbol for the tradition culture of Native Indians. Powwow, is a social gathering by theRead MoreNative American Tradition Culture Of Native Indians1338 Words   |  6 Pageshave they own special festivals and music, and Native American is no exception. First, the native music related many aspects such as ritual, life and work. They like to combine music with dance, and the Native American music always created rich percussion instruments. For example, the hand drum, log drum, water drum and rattle, etc. The Powwow is an important festival and ritual for the Native American, and it is a symbol of the tradition culture of Native Indians. Powwow, is a social gathering byRead MoreAssignment: Human Voice and Music Essay2489 Words   |  10 Pagesinstruments, each instrument representing one of the four families of instruments.   Describe the physical appearance and how sound is produced for each instrument, and what the most common use of each instrument is in music. Answer: Four musical instruments : Trumpet: brass wind musical instrument of part cylindrical, part conical bore, in the shape of a flattened loop and having three piston valves to regulate the pitch. Its origin is ancient; records of a type of simple valveless trumpet are

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

The Tragedy of American Diplomacy by William Appleman...

After earning his master’s degree and Ph. D from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Famous historian William Appleman Williams of Atlantic, Iowa, wrote the book, The Tragedy of American Diplomacy in response to the rampant changing things happening around him. Enraged, Williams’ addresses several points with foreign policy being the main one. He encompasses several themes throughout his book such as American capitalism, the failure of American liberalism, and the Open door notes. These themes help convey his view on the matters at hand, which for a lack of a better term was pissed. Quite frankly, Williams’ gets straight to the point without being around the bush with his extremely biased views by going into depth about America’s morbid foreign policy. However, the organization of the book proved to be beneficial to Williams’ it successfully portrays why he wrote the book and how passionately he felt about its topics. The Tragedy of American Diplomacy follows and critiques the twentieth century belief that the substantial surge of growth in the nineteenth century was crucial to the opulence and security to go forward in America. He highlights the distinction between this idea and the determined quest of expansion with the belief of many Americans that this â€Å"economic intervention† would usher in wealth and tranquility to the rest of the world. The tragedy that Williams informs us about is purely ironic because, The American ideals at the time contradict with what wasShow MoreRelatedThe Tragedy Of American Diplomacy983 Words   |  4 PagesWell-known professor of American history, William Appleman Williams, crafts The Tragedy of American Diplomacy to illustrate that there is more to history than what meets the eye – more than what most Americans have been taught. He argues that there is a tragic past when the history of American diplomacy is analyzed. Throughout crucial periods of time in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Williams explores and analyzes instances in which American diplomacy was challenged, policy was deficientRead MoreComparative Critique of Kennans American Diplomacy and Williams the Tragedy of American Diplomacy1279 Words   |  6 PagesThe works of William Appleman Williams and George F. Kennan have contributed to understanding of American diplomatic history during the period of 1900-1950. Kennans book, American Diplomacy, offers a sharp critique with its focus on American mistakes, specifically examining the absence of direction in American foreign policy and with the end result of American strength and insecurity at the start of the Cold War. Williams, in his book The Tragedy of American Diplomacy, pursues a different butRead MoreThe Cold War And The Sovi et Union1462 Words   |  6 Pageslearned truth about world within.   Ã‚  And they have learned to seek security only in patient but deadly struggle for total destruction of rival power, never in compacts and compromises with it. (Kennan, 1946) Kennans telegram formed the basis of American policy toward Russia for the next fifty years. He presented a country that was inherently incapable of being a responsible world partner. Kennan implied that direct military confrontation was too risky, and so a policy of â€Å"containment† would playRead MoreOrigins of the Cold War Essay1295 Words   |  6 PagesOrigins of the Cold War The purpose of this paper is to explore the origins of the Cold War. To accomplish this exploration, the works of W.A. Williams, Robert Jervis, and Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. serves as the foundation. Before a closer examination of these works, a short explanation of the three common viewpoints regarding the study of the Cold War is warranted. These viewpoints are Attribution, Structural, and Misperception. With these viewpoints to guide the way, the above authorsRead MoreTo What Extent was the Cold war Caused by Ideological Differences?1709 Words   |  7 Pagesexpansionist policy in Eastern Europe and beyond, driven by the ideological goal of exporting world revolution, started the Cold War. According to Michael Hart, â€Å"the Cold War was caused by the military expansionism of Stalin and his successors. The American response†¦ was basically a defensive reaction. As long as Soviet leaders clung to their dream of imposing Communism on the world, the West had no way (ot her than surrender) of ending the conflict†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . In fact, one could argue that the first interpretationRead MoreNotes on American Interventionism3498 Words   |  14 Pagesï » ¿Introduction Before World War II, American interventionism was often overt and direct, simply landing troops on the shores of some prospective banana republic and installing a friendly government there. This is exactly what happened in Hawaii, Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, in some cases more than once. Theodore Roosevelt was hardly shy about admitting that he sent troops to Puerto Rico and the Philippines, taking Panama from ColumbiaRead MoreGeorge Kennan: The Long Telegram of 19461862 Words   |  8 Pageswill (Kennan 1946). In this case, though, the threat was not so much military as economic, since would communism is like a malignant parasite which feeds only on diseased tissue (Kennan 1946). If Western Europe revived and was protected by an American security umbrella, the dangers of communism and Soviet expansion would fade there, and to accomplish this Kennan strongly advised that the U.S. work with moderate socialist and social d emocratic parties there, since the Soviets hated and feared thoseRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesand Paul Buhle, eds., The New Left Revisited David M. Scobey, Empire City: The Making and Meaning of the New York City Landscape Gerda Lerner, Fireweed: A Political Autobiography Allida M. Black, ed., Modern American Queer History Eric Sandweiss, St. Louis: The Evolution of an American Urban Landscape Sam Wineburg, Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts: Charting the Future of Teaching the Past Sharon Hartman Strom, Political Woman: Florence Luscomb and the Legacy of Radical Reform

Monday, December 9, 2019

Films Aftertaste for Homophobia and Militarism- myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theFilms Aftertaste for Homophobia,Militarism and Racism. Answer: Sports and politics do not mix, this is the statement that has been critically explored in the documentary. The documentary is based on Dave Zirins book, A Peoples History of Sports in the United States, Not Just a Game showcases the political scenario that is prevalent on the screens. The documentary focuses on athletes like Billie Jean King, Jackie Robinson, and Pat Tillman athletes who, hardly set as examples in the American sports and politics scenario. Where there is money and power involved politics will surely crop up. Dave Zirin states that, American sports culture shapes cultural attitudes, norms and power arrangements. Sports are a cultural force, a shared social space and a political force, The plot of the documentary discusses several political and societal issues faced by sports personalities in their career (Zirin, 2008). The film covers the careers of famous American sports personalities like Jesse Owens to Howard Cosell, the documentary Not Just a Game exhibits that sports encompasses the concepts of nationalism, militarism, and patriotism which is the exact opposite of politically nonaligned aspect of the perception of sports. With the help of images and footages of old and new interviews of popular athletes, the director points out a series of issues which lead to the conformation of the topic that politics is very well prevalent in American sports community (Briley, 2010). A number of issues are discussed in the movie which was deemed to be glamorous in the sports arena for the longest time, for example: sexism, homophobia, militarism and racism. Not only that the screenplay of the documentary explores the forgotten history of some of the athletes who has a revolutionary career. These people went beyond the field of play to stand up against power anarchy and power misuse and also fought for social issues. The plot of the movie is intensely moving and has a rational flow of knowledge and understanding of the sports culture in the country (Briley, 2010). Sexism and gender discrimination has been an issue in the country for a prolonged period of time until rules and legal framework were set up to support the interest of women in the country, sports is also not an exception, the writer has cited several examples throughout the movie that highlights the issues faced by women athletes and the kind of politics they had to face in the field facing a male opponent. The career of Billie Jean King (famous tennis player) is used as an example to categories and demonstrates the issue further. She had a lasting impression on the game of tennis as she revolutionized the game and was a vocal revolutionary about the woman and gay rights. Title IX of the legal framework of America has encouraged womens participation in sport from a 1 out of 35 share to the currently 1 in 3, the media is also criticized in emphasizing on male sports personalities than female and this has been highlighted in the documentary (Brake, 2012). Media has been recorded to de dicate 1.6 percent of sport air time to women in 2009. In a span of five year the Magazine published by ESPN had only six female covers models. Media coverage of women in sports lack respect and use the female sports personalities as secondary (O'Reilly, 2012). Another social issue that has been highlighted in the documentary is Homophobia. Acceptance of homosexuality has been one of the major issues that the American society and the impact of it have been observed in the sports industry as well. The documentary traces the fact that not a single athlete had accepted their sexuality during the tenure of their career this fact is of course stated during the period this documentary was made. The silence of male athletes of the period on the issue of violence towards women as well as any kind of activities towards homosexuality, this situation was observed throughout the sports community (Sherkat et al., 2014) The scenario has changed for better now and acceptance of homosexuality has also been legalized in several states of America and the sports community has also shown acceptance of homosexuality with time. Jason Collins, for example is the first NBA player who has openly accepted his sexuality in 2014 (Zirin, 2008). Dave Zirin achieved a lot of critical acclamation for the screenplay and the movie discusses the issue of militarism in the sports arena. American football is used as a platform to discuss the examples. There are a number of images from the Fox Sunday NFL anchors in military camouflage as well as the F-14 pre-game flyovers. It also focuses on how a sportsperson uses military expression to illustrate their experience on the field; the examples state that football in America is regarded as the major game. The football culture in the country as described in the documentary is dominated by the traditional male behavioral model some of the examples of this theory are the idea to impose and undergo pain in order to gain success, to succeed at any cost and win in the game regardless of the consequences (Briley, 2010). There are also a lot of militaristic jargons used in the sports like football for example: the term quarterback is actually a rank in among the military generals and is used i n football to indicate a position of a player. The role of a player is this compared with the role of a soldier in the battlefield which indicates the militarism in sports. The documentary shows how these ideas are used to glamorize the sport and bring a sense of masculinity in the sports community. But Zirin shows that militarism is not only prevalent in football but is also prevalent in other sports as well. Indeed, all American sports are either uncritically patriotic or wholly militaristic (Zirin, 2008). The gap that has been identified in this audiovisual representation of the topic of politics in sports is the issue of racism. The documentary discusses a brief of the history of racism in sports with the example of the successful career of Jack Johnson (boxer). Prior to that, men of color and women were treated as secondary and their careers were not followed by the media as well. This was because they were viewed to be physically incapable, lacking mental skills and physical capabilities. The success of Johnson was a benchmark in the American sports history as well as in American society (Zirin, 2008). He ranked as one of the top boxers in the world. In 1910, Johnson even defeated a white male boxer, this becoming a representation of black masculinity and a threat to whites. After the success of Johnson, several other men of color were inspired to join the sports community and take sports as a career option. The documentary states the situation that is revolutionary but does not go further deep in to the issue of how people were treated previously. The film takes a broad perspective of the collective meaning for social justice therefore lacking individual focus on severe issues. The career and success of popular athletes such as Muhammad Ali, Jack Johnson, Jackie Robinson and John Carlos have been discussed but the issue has been highlighted the solution or the revolution in the situation has not been mentioned. Civil rights are used as the overall concern of that the documentary deals with thus reducing the emphasis on individual issues. The documentary portrays the Black Power salute of John Carlos and Tommie Smith on the podium during the Mexico City Olympic Games in the year 1968. Zirin, the narrator of the film, states by mistake about these athletes showing their showing their respect for Civil rights movement when in actuality they expressed their solidarity with Black Power and Human Rights (Briley, 2010). The approach of the narrative of the documentary look forward to place these sports personalities as revolutionaries, who not only strive to make the situation in the sports community better but also fit into the reforming the American society. The documentary uplifts the true spirit of sportsmanship and commemorates the efforts of the athletes who has strived the make the sports community in America a diverse and better opportunity for the young aspirants irrespective of their race, religion, gender, sexual orientation etc (Zirin, 2008). It can be concluded form the above example that the documentary is not like any other sports documentary that focuses on a sports legend and follows the career prospect of a sport, but rather the content is intensely mixed with the political and societal conditions of America which was also impacting the sports community by and large. The personalities who have been discussed in the documentary reformed the community as well as changed the way the sports were depicted even a decade ago. There have been reforms in the community as well as in the society, as these people have strived to put their perspective across and have traced a successful sports career as well. Power, politics and American sports are depicted to be interred connected and the influence of sports in the society has been analyzed to be significant. Reference list: Brake, D. L. (2012). Getting in the game: Title IX and the women's sports revolution. NYU Press. Briley, R. (2010). A People's History of Sports in the United States: 250 Years of Politics, Protest, People, and Play. Journal of Sport History, 37(1), 192-193. O'Reilly, J. (Ed.). (2012). Women and sports in the United States: A documentary reader. UPNE. Sherkat, D. E., Powell-Williams, M., Maddox, G., De Vries, K. M. (2011). Religion, politics, and support for same-sex marriage in the United States, 19882008. Social Science Research, 40(1), 167-180. Tomlinson, A., Young, C. (Eds.). (2006). National identity and global sports events: Culture, politics, and spectacle in the Olympics and the football World Cup. SUNY Press. Zirin, D. (2008). A people's history of sports in the United States: 250 years of politics, protest, people, and play. The New Press.

Monday, December 2, 2019

The Empty Corner Room free essay sample

The Empty Corner Room by J. H., New City, NY Last August, my family and I drove up to Cornell University to take my brother to college, but my parents were not quite prepared themselves. My brother was nervous, my parents were horrified and I was extremely depressed. Andrew and I are very close and always have been. We rarely fought, but there were those rare occasions when he tortured me by feeding me mashed peas, the food I hate most. Still, he was always by my side when I needed help with homework or anything school-related. I always ran to him when there were family problems. The four-hour drive seemed to last forever. Driving on the same thruway almost the whole way could not have been more boring, but the techno music and rap pumping and the excitement in the car kept us going like the Energizer bunny. Trees, trees and more trees were everywhere. We will write a custom essay sample on The Empty Corner Room or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Lakes, rivers and ponds too. Diners, gas stations and ice cream parlors. I was sick of the outdoors by the time we reached the Cornell campus. Cornell was not too different from the outside world, except that waterfalls, gorges, gardens and museums covered its amazing grounds. Thousands of students and cars bustled through the campus streets trying to find their dormitories. Some crazy teenagers actually jumped off cliffs into cold water gorges 10 stories high, for fun. It took us an hour to get Andrews belongings up to his small dorm room with the help of some Cornell students. Halfway through setting everything up, my brothers roommate appeared with his parents. Richard seemed like a nice guy, low key, just like my brother. He was six feet tall, dark brown hair, dark, warm eyes and a good dresser, I might add. My brother and Rich did not talk much to start with, but when they did, they mumbled and it was impossible for anybody to understand what they were talking about. After three hours of organizing their small room, we were all exhausted and hungry, but relieved the toughest part of the trip was over. The last few hours of the weekend we spent in my brothers room, making sure everything was set up. It was time for our final goodbye. It was my dads turn first. He told my brother not to worry and they shook hands and gave each other a tight, warm hug. Then I reached out, taking hold of his skinny body and said: I love you. Finally came the moment my mom was dreading. She gave Andrew a hug and kiss and wished him all the luck possible. And thats when the tears came. Driving home that night, I began realizing how special my brother really is to me. We may have our disagreements, but they all seemed pushed aside, like blocks in shuffleboard. At my house now, there is no more loud music, no more sweet smelling cologne, but there is a love that I will always cherish not too far from home.