Exploring Music In Context

 Exploring Music in Context

Table of Contents

Section 1:

1. AOI 3+1 (personal/local context) + personal composition
2. External Piece (global context) + adaptation piece

Section 2:

1. AOI 3+1
2. Personal Composition

Section 3:

1. External Piece
2. Adaptation Composition
3. Adaptation Recording process
4. Elements used

Section 4:

1. Bibliography

Section 1 (Exploration of a diverse musical material):

AOI 3+1

Personal context: Jazz in Paris

Song Link (YouTube): (3) Jazz In Paris - YouTube

Culture/Country of Origin: US

Composer: Media Rights Productions

Notation/Sheet Music: Jazz in Paris Sheet Music for Piano (Alto Sax Piano Duet) | MuseScore.com

Significance: One of the most popular choices for background music.


I chose this piece for one of my two songs, as I have listened to it for over 4 years now, and enjoy it very much. I listen to this song sometimes when I work, and also when I play video games. Since it in the style of swing-jazz, it relaxes me very much. This piece is also a very popular choice for background music in videos that I occasionally watch. This includes commentary videos, and video game gameplay. Many of my peers would be able to recognize this piece, although they wouldn't know the name of the song.

Local Context: Egmont

Song Link (YouTube): (3) Beethoven: Overture to Egmont | Kurt Masur and the Gewandhaus Orchestra - YouTube

Culture/Country of Origin: Austria

Composer: Ludwig Van Beethoven

Notation/Sheet Music: Egmont     Overture – Ludwig van Beethoven Egmont Overture for Strings Sheet Music for Violin, Viola, Cello, Woodwinds (other) (String Ensemble) | MuseScore.com

Significance: This piece was inspired by a play written years before it.

I chose this piece for one of my two songs, as I was introduced to it very early in my life (over a decade ago), and heavily resonate with it. I listen to classical music with my dad in the car wherever we go and often turn on the classical radio. This song stands out very much to me, and I understand each part separately like chapters in the story. It is composed by Ludwig Van Beethoven, and. This song has also been performed in our area, and we have watched it live before. This is a piece for me which can be listened to hundreds of times but cannot compare to watching it in person. I love the idea of the instruments working together to create such a masterpiece. The song explores freedom and triumph, pushing through darkness. Although this song is a piece of its own, it was inspired by a theater production (play) with the same name. The specific video I am using will be a short scene from Egmont, along with the beginning of the overture in the background. Both the elements and the instruments from this overture will be added into my adaptation.

My composition (score): 
Untitled score.pdf

AOI 1 Adaptation piece

Global Context: Bella Ciao

Song Link (YouTube): "Bella Ciao" - Italian Partisan Song - YouTube

Culture/Country of Origin: Italy

Composer: Unknown

Notation/Sheet Music: Bella Ciao Sheet Music with Chords for Piano (Solo) | MuseScore.com

Significance: This song was made as an anti-fascist anthem in Italy, being chanting all across the nation.

The Song 'Bella Ciao' was made in Italy around World War 2 (More specifically, Northern Italy). Although its composer is unknown, it was originally sung among female rice workers protesting against unfair working conditions. This shows that a song with such a powerful meaning can be used to protest against multiple unjust rules and regimes. This song was later taken by the Italian partisans. These were the people who resisted the fascism in Italy during World War 2, and the song turned into an anti-fascist protest song.

    This piece carries significant cultural importance, as it is more than just a song. It is unifier of rebels, and a social message to the opposition, while also being a patriotic anthem sung in pride. Some of the lyrics describe how if the singers and rebels were to die, they should be buried in order to honor their fight toward Italy's liberation.   

My Adaptation (score):

Adaptation.pdf

Section 2 (AOI 3+1): 

Jazz In Paris:

Medium

Although the score uses piano, the original song begins with drums and a bass which begins playing lower and lower, until the harmonica takes over for the main melody. After this, the song transitions to a saxophone solo, giving a second melody, and then going back to the original harmonica theme.

Melody
The melody begins with the harmonica and then is taken over by the saxophone. In the middle, there is a guitar solo, played high, giving a slightly new feeling, but then going back to the original melody. The melody is swing jazz style and sounds upbeat through the song.

Harmony
Although there is only one melody present at any time in the song, the background bass gives a nice harmony, creating a happy and outgoing harmony. The multiple notes fused together give a chill and relaxing, but happy and interesting feeling. The tone created by the harmony through different instruments and octaves is very soothing but keeps the listener on their toes for new harmonies, giving new feelings.



Texture
The texture is very soft, but with purpose. the string bass in the background plucking gives a steady beat to the song, while keeping it light, along with the slight drums, followed by the occasional piano. It stays consistent throughout the song, with supporting background instruments to keep it bouncy but relaxed.
Meter
The song is played in 4/4-time signature, but with a swing style. It is bouncy and upbeat, but light and easy going at the same time. It is played around a speed of. quarter note=100-120 bpm. It is easy to tap your foot to the song and follow the swing.

Form
The form of the song stays consistent through, with a main melody that repeat played by the harmonica, and then a 2nd and 3rd melody which are played once by the saxophone and guitar respectively. The melody switches slightly for the Harmonica the second and third time it is played. The form of the song is:

1. Harmonica Melody
2. Saxophone Melody
3. Harmonica Melody
4. Guitar Melody
5. Harmonica Melody
6. Saxophone Melody

Style
The style is 1930s-1950s European Swing Jazz. The song is very much upbeat, and happy, and can also be classified as cafe jazz. The song has modern themes as well and is used in the background of many YouTube videos.

Context
Jazz in Paris is a song used very often in the background of YouTube videos but can also be listened to casually. It resembles the swing jazz style of the 1930s-1950s, but with a modern upbeat touch. It evokes a feeling of Paris, France, and other famous cities in eastern Europe.

Vocals
NA

Expression

This song is very expressive and communicates to the listener through the various melodies and rhythms that explore different notes yet feel alike to each other. The composer wishes to relax the listener with this tune but also make them feel joyous. The emotion throughout the peace stays relatively the same, staying consistent with upbeat melodies.

                                                              Egmont overture:

Medium
This overture is played with all the instruments in a philharmonic orchestra. This includes stings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion. The strings, woodwinds, and brass, all have interchangeable roles as the main melodies, supporters, and background music, while the percussion adds effect.

Melody
The melody constantly shifts from section to section, giving each instrument a chance to display its unique sound, as the song slowly unfolds. The same melodies are played by various instruments, almost as if each one has its own interpretation of the same notes and gives its own unique feeling. One instrument can play a melody happily, where the another can play the same passage but with a different feeling. The background notes which support the melody. also affect the feeling being produced

Harmony

There are numerous harmonies throughout this piece, each having their own feeling, as the piece shapes itself and changes. Common instruments to come together to create harmonies in this piece include Violas + Violins + Flutes, Strings + Timpani, Woodwinds + horns, and upper strings + woodwinds. The harmonies in this song give an interesting feeling to the listeners, guiding them through the song.

Texture

This piece has a very thick and bold texture. The song begins with a strong chord, filled with power. However, it slowly splits itself into different parts, eventually coming back together in beautiful melodies. The song overall is very dark yet tells a story of triumph.

Meter
The time signature is in 3/2 for the most part. It constantly changes tempo and gives an eerie but calm feeling. By constantly going from slow to fast, but keeping the same time signature, this song gives the listeners different feelings throughout, yet they also connect to each other, and sound similar.

Form

This song is structured with a bold intro, and then minutes of quiet music building up to a slow but rushed sounding part. It then transitions into other various melodies but occasionally transitions back to its main many main themes. Near the end of the song, the melodies change and grow into happy and victorious themes, representing emergence from the depths of despair.

Style
This overture moves from quiet to loud, and slow to fast. It's constant change in tone, but consistency in depth gives a unique message. It is made in the style of early romantic classical music. The song was heavily influenced by other songs from the same genre made around its time.

Context
This song was made in the early romantic era of classical music, by Ludwig Van Beethoven somewhere around October 1809 to June 1810. This was around the time where classical music was changing fast, by becoming much more complex in its own way, and introducing new techniques and styles, evoking new feelings and emotions. The song was written for Goethe.

Vocals
NA

Expression

This song is very expressive in a way that it shows the darkness in things, but also triumph. It is about victory through tough times. Beethoven gives the listener a song with melodies to hold on to, but also forget, as they change, merge, and develop into a story.

My Piece

Untitled score.pdf

Section 3 (AOI 1 Adaptation piece):

Bella Ciao:

Medium: This is a vocal folk song. These singers are accompanied by both an accordion and a guitar, as well as other minor instruments in the back to make it sound whole. This vocal folk song is different from vocal folk songs today, since it was made in Italy at the time of World War 2.

Melody: The melody for Bella Ciao is diatonic This means that in the case of E minor, only plays the notes: E, F#, G, A, B, C, and D. In other words, there are no 'chromatic notes' in this song like a D# or G#.



Harmony: This is piece is made from the i, iv, V7 chord progression, and is in a minor key. This is very common in Italian Folk Songs. The Harmonies are made with the use of the main tone.

Rhythm: This song is played in the 4/4-time signature as seen in the screenshot, and mainly consists of whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, and eight notes. This gives the vocals a simple but powerful message. While the Treble clef is for the vocals as mentioned earlier, the bass clef is for the supporting instruments, such as the accordion and the guitar. These instruments in the background work together in order to add strength to the singers, but not take away from their main melody, creating a balanced harmony between a protest message and a nice casual tune.



Style: This song is in the style of an Italian protest folk song. It is a political anthem, led by strong vocals. This is intentional, as it puts the focus on the lyrics rather than the music in the background which is just there for melodic support and good harmony.

Context: This song was made to counter the Fascists (like Benito Mussolini) and the regime, along with Partisans. This song spread all across Italy, with its composer being unknown.

Vocals: The song is sung in Italian and counters the Fascist Regime in Italy around the time of World War 2. More specifically, one lyric from the song "O bella ciao" directly translates to 'Goodbye Beautiful", meaning they are saying goodbye to the peaceful time they were living in, now ruined by the fascist regime.

Expression: This song expresses defiance and resistance in its powerful background music, but also its reflectiveness and sadness from the vocals. The singers reflect on their peaceful time which is now gone. As a whole, this song is a social message regarding resistance.

My Adaptation:

Adaptation.pdf

Elements exclusive to String instruments which I included in my adaptation:

Up bows, down bows, and slurs:

Up and down bow markings are crucial for string players or in my case, cellist. While singing is simply using your voice, cello can be played in many different ways. For example, playing a note on an up bow versus a down bow can affect factors like sound quality, bow placement, and convenience for playing the rest of the passage. I gave myself some guidance along the way where I believed it was necessary. When I was playing through my music, I noticed that certain portions wouldn't play well, and I would need to fix the bowings. Slurs also helped with playing quicker passages (passes containing eighth notes).

Staccato markings:

Unlike the bowing patterns, staccato was used in this song not for convenience (Although it can be) but for effect. Since Bella Cia expresses one feeling throughout the entire piece, I figured that adding staccato to only one section would make it stand out as more jubilant.

Accents:

Accents are also something to use for emphasis on notes. If every note were to shine, nothing would stand out. Therefore, by adding accents to the first note of every measure, the song is giving a kick to the audience, introducing them to each bar.

Dotted notes:

The dotted eighth notes provide variety and flavor in my piece which brings an unexpected twist to the anthem, while still remaining powerful.

Ritardandos:

I added a ritardando for bar 17 to emphasize the whole note and give it its full value. This is yet another part of the song where I decided to add variety.

Recording Process:

When it was time to record, I already felt ready, having added everything I needed in the score to easily sightread my own music. I played the music with the same emotion that the protestors would have at their time: angry, courageous, and sad at the same time. However, as mentioned earlier, I had added extra things into the adaptation which was not in Bella Ciao. This was because the cello had so many more features which I wished to play to, and so I did. Unlike the original recording, the cello can adapt and change a song so much with little shifts in arm weight, bow position, finger position, and bow speed.

Section 4 (Bibliography):

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DW Classical Music. “Beethoven: Overture to Egmont | Kurt Masur and the Gewandhaus Orchestra.” YouTube, 23 Dec. 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oaazxCPNwU. Accessed 5 Jan. 2026.

Media Right Productions - Topic. “Jazz in Paris.” YouTube, 21 Apr. 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=_biYHnOtF0g. Accessed 5 Jan. 2026.

Musescore. “Bella Ciao.” Musescore.com, musescore.com/user/9429701/scores/4992158.

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Musescore. “Egmont Overture for Strings.” Musescore.com, Musescore, Apr. 2023, musescore.com/user/62344339/scores/10373005. Accessed 5 Jan. 2026.

Musescore. “Lg-103188715.” Musescore.com, Musescore, 22 June 2018, musescore.com/user/19993661/scores/5141879. Accessed 5 Jan. 2026.

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“Musictheory.net - Tools.” Musictheory.net, www.musictheory.net/tools.

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Youtube.com, 2026, www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxNLmQEAF68. Accessed 5 Jan. 2026.

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