Listening Blog #4 - "Scherzo" - Amy Beach

Instrumentation:

-Piano, strings section (violin, viola, cello?), Oboe

Texture: Polyphonic (multiple lines moving different directions)

However, this aspect of the music actually stuck out to me the most. As complex as the music was, it sounded noticeably thinner and sparser than I would have expected it to. I don’t know if it was missing certain orchestral instrumentation I expected or what (a horn section, perhaps? And there seemed to be minimal bass), but I thought the song as a whole had a bare aspect to it that was a little disappointing to me.

Range: None of the instruments really pushed the boundaries of their ranges in this song: I wouldn’t say that it was a focal point of the piece.

Tempo: Overall, the tempo of the piece was very fast-paced. The piano arpeggiation helped to create a feeling of rapidity and break-neck speed (as the piano player’s hands have got to be moving extremely fast to play that).

Meter: I think the meter was duple beat, as one could imagine a march (although it would have to be very fast!) to the music.

Volume: Throughout the piece, Beach uses swells in the dynamics for emphasis, creating an ebb and flow feeling of the song. It also puts emphasis on the quieter parts as well, as they stand out.

Orchestration: I liked the violin tremolo at the beginning along with the oboe: I thought it created a nice tension and sense of anticipation for the piece.

The piano remained a constant focus of the piece, and arpeggios were a very characteristic quality of the piece, giving it a sense of whimsicality and precision. The descending solo run at around 3:11 was also quite impressive: the fact that no other instrument was playing drew all the more attention to it.

The ending piano chords also work towards the same effect, signaling the end in a very common chord ending.

The timbre varied: at times it seemed quaint and simpler, while sometimes it seemed lush and sweeping and romantic, at others more dark and forboding.

Overall, I did like this song: however, I have to say that after reading the praise of Beach in the Bower/Tick text, I had a much different expectation of what her music would sound like. I expected something much more loud and forceful, with a lot more weight and full orchestral sound.