Introduction
Instrumental music has the same ability to create images or communicate a general narrative to listeners as written narratives or songs with lyrics. However, in the case of instrumental music, the performers use different musical elements such as rhythm, volume, texture, and articulation to convey the meaning behind the music. This essay will describe the story communicated through the use of musical elements in Charlie Parker’s Repetition.
The Use of Musical Elements in Story Narration
Firstly, it is essential to point out that the music in Repetition can be divided into multiple parts, even though an underlying Cuban rhythm pattern connects all segments. Thus, the overall energetic mood of the music, in combination with the distinct rhythm, creates an image of the joyous and colorful atmosphere of a dance party on a warm summer evening.
Next, the change from energetic and loud music in the beginning to more melodic sounds of violin and piano can represent a change of focus in the listener’s attention. For example, the change can draw the listener’s attention from one group of guests dancing on the floor to others who have just arrived at the party. The interruptions and differences in volume communicate the newly arrived guests’ excitement to start dancing immediately after getting closer to the location and hearing the distant music. Thus, parts with a more gentle music texture allow the listeners to relax and imagine the guests’ beautiful outfits as they enter the club and the lush tropical surroundings of the party’s location.
Furthermore, the gradual shift in the music’s attention to a specific instrument allows the creation of different visual scenes in the listener’s imagination. In the earlier segment, the fleeting focus on the piano allows the listener to imagine musicians performing on stage (Parker, 2018). Next, the music’s focus on the violin, closer to the middle of the composition, creates an image of dancers from afar (Parker, 2018). The brief violin solo returns the listeners’ attention to the next segment with a distinct drum sound. The sound can illustrate a closer image of people dancing on the floor, as it appears to imitate the sound of dancing footsteps.
Next, the anticipated entry of the saxophone into the music in the second half of the composition marks the moment when guests who have just arrived at the party join others on the dance floor. Thus, adding a saxophone to the motive already played earlier can illustrate how newly arrived guests mix with others in dance. Furthermore, a higher pitch corresponds to the peak of guests’ pleasure from music and dancing. Therefore, even though instrumental music cannot communicate a detailed narrative, it can convey a general image of events through musical elements.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this essay explored how using musical elements in Repetition by Charlie Parker can communicate a story to listeners. Thus, while each listener can understand the meaning behind the music, the essay considers the composition’s genre and style to create a narrative of a dance party in Cuba. The essay defined combining different segments united by an underlying Cuban rhythm pattern as creating multiple images in listeners’ imaginations.
Furthermore, two prominent music textures with and without adding a saxophone created an image of two different groups of guests at the party. Lastly, the music’s focus on different instruments creates a thorough image of the party’s location, performers, and guests. At the same time, the difference in volume conveys the excitement of newly arrived guests to join the dance.
Reference
Parker, C. (2018). Repetition[Video]. YouTube. Web.