A Comparison between Cultivated and Vernacular Music

Cultivated and Vernacular Music

Cultivated and vernacular music are two types of melodies, which were critical in the traditional and still are, paramount in the contemporary world. Cultivated music is the type of tune that is imported from another nation or place while vernacular music originally comes from a particular country. For instance, Opera is a piece of music which initially came from Italy, and if it is brought to a nation like America, it becomes cultivated music. On the other hand, vernacular music in America is the music that originated from the country such as Jazz. “Brahms' Clarinet Quintet in B minor Opus 115 - New Zealand String Quartet with James Campbell” is a type of cultivated music while “CeCe Winans in the Throne Room (Live) Full Concert” is a type of vernacular music. Basically, I believe that the two kinds of music that are meant for educational and entertainment purpose through the use of different elements.

Comparison

From the two types of music, there are different elements which make it more fascinating for the listeners to acquire the thematic concern. For instance, “Brahms' Clarinet Quintet in B minor Opus 115 - New Zealand String Quartet with James Campbell” there is an organization of melody style which makes it more captivating for the listeners. At 3’55” the music depicts a quiet melodically presented music lowering the intonation of the music to make more enchanting thus making listeners more attentive and willing to listen to it. The same case appears in “CeCe Winans in the Throne Room (Live) Full Concert” at the 1’905” the melody also changes making it more interesting for people to listen to it. Therefore, I believe that a change in melody and tonal variation is a way of making the music more interesting.

Entertainment and Education Value

I believe that people cherish vernacular and cultivated music since they serve the purpose of both entertainment and education. Mostly, there are songs that people cannot understand their meanings, but they still listen to them since they have the entertainment value. For example, “Brahms' Clarinet Quintet in B minor Opus 115 - New Zealand String Quartet with James Campbell” does not have a special message but only the sounds produced. Performers solo instruments such as guitars, piano and Cor anglais which makes the tune remarkable for any listener. Also, there is an incorporation of dynamics: the volume of a sound or a note that makes the music so expressive and affects the mood of the listener in a positive way. Principally, I believe that the dynamics levels in the music suggested moods or emotions I had towards the music. For instance, I associated loud dynamics of the music with turmoil, vigor and victory while I associated the soft sounds with repose and calmness which made me enjoy the music more.

Rhythm and Atmosphere

The two types of music are relevant and cherished by human beings provided they deliver what many people would want to hear from music. Some people are concerned about the message of the music while others consider the way in which instruments and vocals are played. As such, there is no other reason which makes people listen to a particular type of music over the other. It is also possible for people to appreciate both natural and cultivated kind of music provided it gives them what they need in a particular type of music.

The rhythm of the two types of music is also quite fascinating. Sound variation brings a taste into the music, and it makes people enthusiastic to listen more and even enjoy it. Rhythm is a critical element in any song since it keeps the fun and good beat of the music, and it is enhanced by the tempo: the rate of speed of a rhythm in a composition of a particular music. Also, I realized that the rhythm makes a pattern in the music. The two types of music have a well-connected rhythm which connects the music proficiently. For instance, in “Brahms' Clarinet Quintet in B minor Opus 115 - New Zealand String Quartet with James Campbell” 7’31” the rhythm goes down and rises at 7’50”. The same case happens in the “CeCe Winans in the Throne Room (Live) Full Concert” the rhythm rises 1’42” the rhythm goes up and again goes down 1’43”. Basically, the rhythm keeps the song together.

Enchanting Style and Performance

The two types of music incorporate an enchanting style which creates a soft atmosphere for the listeners. At first, when I listened to music, I realized that they were cool and a person who requires a calm environment needs to listen to such music. No unnecessary noise gives a person a relaxed environment to scrutinize the music and evaluate it profoundly trying to get the message. Also, they are the types of music that a person would love to listen to although they are either vernacular or cultivated type of music. As such, they enhance a better strategy for the people to have a feeling that they can listen to it more and more. I can listen to music for hours without any boredom.

From the introductory part of the music, I realized that the calm atmosphere would make me listen to the music to the end since it is the kind of music I love. I did not expect many changes along the way. I also realized that there is a profound message in the songs that require deep understanding to comprehend whatever the singers and all participants wanted to pass across to the world. The atmosphere also made me believe that music does not depend on the fact that it is either a vernacular or cultivated. It depends on the performance of the people and the attitude of the person listening to the music. The atmosphere also made me respond to the music positively since all the practices of the music covered most of the aspects I could not expect from most of the vernacular and cultivated music.

Harmony, Timbre, and Form

The performance of the music was quite encouraging. All the performers seemed to have a proficient understanding of the music. The instrumentals such as drums, piano, guitars, and Tenor saxophone create a great performance in “CeCe Winans in the Throne Room (Live) Full Concert,” since they make the music more entrancing. The collaboration was another significant factor especially in “Brahms' Clarinet Quintet in B minor Opus 115 - New Zealand String Quartet with James Campbell” where all performers seemed to be professionally trained to handle different elements. In “CeCe Winans in the Throne Room (Live) Full Concert,” the singer also seemed to have a lot of energy though she performed alone. However, she had also mastered the art of singing, choice of words, and vocals which made the performance more captivating.

Harmony, timbre, and the form of the music are the major elements of the music that stood out for me. Harmony entails the combination of two or more pitches, and they made the music more charismatic such that I could listen to it for more than ten times. For example, in CeCe Winans in the Throne Room (Live) Full Concert” at 2’02” there is a combination of vocals and guitars and drums that bring harmony of the music. Also, timbre is evidenced in many parts of the music, and it appears especially throughout the songs. However, there are parts where the tone quality was higher than my expectations. In” Brahms' Clarinet Quintet in B minor Opus 115 - New Zealand String Quartet with James Campbell” at 31’21”, I felt that its timbre was more classic and captivating to listen to most of the times. The tone quality was so smooth, and I think that any person would wish to listen to that part more often. Another element of the song is the form; which entailed the structure of music. The way the two types of music were organized was impeachable, but in “Brahms' Clarinet Quintet in B minor Opus 115 - New Zealand String Quartet with James Campbell” at 37’55” the form became too smooth as the song approached the end.

Personal Response

The music positively affected me. For instance, being a cool journal of music, it gave me a relaxation effect. There were a lot of factors which were eliminated in the two genres. For example, there was less noise compared to other types of music. It was so cool and captivating such that I could listen to them the whole day and night. I listen to music most of the times since they are my selection which makes me have a relaxed atmosphere. The effect of the music was also critical since it changed my mind from listening to other types of music which do not contain a serene atmosphere.

Conclusion

In general, music is an important genre in the society. They play a critical role either in education or entertainment. Vernacular and cultivated music are two different types of music, but they still play the same purpose. From the two kinds of music I have analyzed, I have also realized that even though there are some differences between the two types of music, their similarities are prevalent in the way. Therefore, their elements enhance their thematic concern and a better understanding and love for the music.