Essays and Research Papers on Music

This is a 3 page paper that provides an overview of Josh Gracin's "The Other Little Soldier". A literary critique of the music and video is provided. Bibliography lists 1 source.

A 3 page musical analysis of Chopin's Prelude in C Minor. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This is a 5 page paper that provides an overview of Handel's "Messiah". Reasons for the popularity of the work are discussed, including its oratorio structure. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 3 page research paper that offers an analysis of all four movements of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 3 page paper which compares and contrasts the songs All By Myself by Eric Carmen and All Out of Love by Air Supply. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

In four pages, this paper examines how punk culture started and where the movement is today. Three sources are listed in the bibliography.

A 7 page research paper that addresses how to perceive hip hop: Does commercial hip hop harm Black Americans in its focus on and glorification of racist, negative images; or does it primarily represent a reflection of Black experience that mainstream America does not want to face? This examination of literature explores this topic in ...

A 3 page research paper that begins by describing the features that characterize the first movement of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. Then the writer compares this with the first movement of Mozart's Symphony No. 40. Bibliography lists 1 source.

This 3 page essay analyzes Janis Ian's "At Seventeen," Liz Phair's "F*ck and Run," Joan Baez's "Diamonds and Rust" and Ruth Brown's "I Don't Know" and discusses how these four blues songs describe heartbreak from the viewpoint of a young woman. Bibliography cites 4 sources.

An 8 page paper on the stylistic elements within the films Grease and Westside Story, which are both stories based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Bibliography lists 8 sources.

This 3 page paper examines why Michael Jackson is considered to be the King of Pop. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 8 page essay provides a student reviewing a jazz concert with a template on which to base the student's own report. Works performed and analyzed include Wood Shaw's "Rahsaan's Run" and Mickey Tucker's "The Crawl." Bibliography lists 4 sources.

In three pages this Frank Zappa song from the 1970s is examined within the context of social discourse. Three sources are listed in the bibliography.

This 4 page essay considers the difference between composition and improvisation and how both apply to jazz. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 3 page research paper that discusses the Overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream, Festgesang and Lobgesang by Felix Mendelssohn. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This 5 page concert report offers a student a hypothetical example of how the student might choose to relate the details of a recent concert at Yavapai College's Performing Arts Center. This concert was an a cappella choral performance and the writer discusses the various works that were performed. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 2 page research paper reports on the purpose, development, style, and general characteristics of opera. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 5 page concert report offers suggestions to a student on how the student might relate the details of a jazz concert that occurred at Yavapai College on October 22, 2012. The writer describes the works that were performed by drawing on YouTube videos of these pieces. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

This is a 4 page paper that provides an overview of the formal analysis of music. Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez provides an instructive example of how formal elements convey thematic ideas. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

In a paper of six pages, the author writes about two rap songs and the cultures they are from. The author of this paper discusses the New York rapper Nas' “It Ain't Hard to Tell” and English rapper Dizzee Rascal's “Fix Up Look Sharp,” as well as how the cultures of these places influenced the ...

In a paper of six pages, the author writes about two rap songs and the cultures they are from. The author of this paper discusses the New York rapper Nas' “It Ain't Hard to Tell” and English rapper Dizzee Rascal's “Fix Up Look Sharp,” as well as how the cultures of these places influenced the ...

A 3 page essay that offers the writer's analysis of Maria Callas singing the "Suicidio" aria from Amilcare Ponchielli's opera La Gioconda. No sources are cited.

This 7 page essay analyzes the song "The War Drags On" by Donovan, which was a protest song against the Vietnam War. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 3 page essay that begins with the writer relating her first impressions of the work. Then, the tone, tempo and rhythm of the piece are described and the essay concludes by comparing the work with Bernini's sculpture, "The Ecstasy of St. Teresa." Bibliography lists 4 sources.

This 10 page essay offers a overview of Baroque music. The writer describes the characteristics of the music, defines and talks about terms, and composers. Bibliography lists 12 sources.