StudySpace: The Enjoyment of Music: Essential Listening Edition

Reporting on the Concert Experience

Have you ever been to a live classical music concert? If so, you have some idea what to expect, although each type of concert has its own conventions, some of which may seem strange to you.

First, you need to decide which concert to attend. Did you ever play an instrument in a band or orchestra or sing in a choir? Most universities have all these ensembles, and many more. The quality of the groups is usually very good, since the student participants are often music majors who have been performing for many years. So try one of these for your first concert-going experience. You will find too that there are all kinds of other groups to hear, some very specialized: jazz bands and combos, early music ensembles, chamber groups such as brass or woodwind quintets and string quartets, percussion ensembles, and perhaps even some nonwestern music groups to transport you to another part of the world.

There are a few conventions of classical concert-going of which you should be aware: 1) you need to arrive early enough to get seated before the program starts, as late seating only occurs between works; 2) you should hold your applause during multi-movement works to the end—study the program to figure out how it is organized; 3) please do not talk or make other unnecessary noise during the concert, as this can be disruptive to those around you and, more importantly, to the performers, who must concentrate on the music; and 4) be sure to stay seated until the intermission or end of the concert, again to not be disruptive. You will find, too, that the performers are formal in their dress and their actions on stage—these are part of the traditions of the concert hall.

Try to follow the program, noting the differences in musical style heard in the various selections and movements. Notice that even the movements of one large-scale work, such as a symphony, sonata, or concerto, will present varied melodies, harmonies, meters, and textures. This is what you will need to write about in a concert report. Hearing and describing these varied styles using the terminology you are learning can be a challenge, but do your best. Some elements will be easier to discern than others.

A sample concert report is linked here to give you an idea what musical characteristics you might try to describe. This student took good notes at the concert on each movement and did a little extra reading from the textbook as well, so this report is longer and more indepth than some. The comments here pertain to all the basic elements of music (chapters 1-9)—melody, rhythm/meter, harmony, texture, form, dynamics/tempo, and instruments—using the terms defined in these chapters. This student also commented on more complex aspects of the forms and genres, described in the section entitled More Materials of Form. All the composers performed on this particular concert are described in your text (and one of the selections is discussed in detail); thus you can easily find in which era (style period) the composer lived and worked. Note that instructor comments (from your book's author) are also given at the bottom to show some of the criteria that might be used to evaluate your report.

So find a concert that looks appealing to you (or that is recommended by your instructor), invite a friend to go along, and enjoy!

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