Peking Opera Essays - Vocal Music, Peking Opera, Aria, Recitative

Peking Opera David Widoff Topics in Music 251 March 15, 1999 Peking opera first started to gain national recognition in the 19th century, as is probably the best-known Chinese traditional music-theater in the West. Though known to the West as Peking opera, it is referred to in China as jing ju, translated as capital theater. This musical genre contains such diverse characteristics including virtuosic singing in romantic scenes involving young lovers, stylized battle scenes at land our at seas featuring spectacular acrobatics, comical slapstick often with underlying themes of political satire, and dramatic scenes of betrayal, revenge, retribution, and triumph. The origins of the plots of Peking opera come mostly from popular legend, historical events, novels, and other narrations. Peking opera is divided into five main categories and their subcategories according to age, sex, social status and character. These include the following: Sheng (male role), Dan (female role), Jing (painted face role), Mo (a minor old-male role), and Chon (male comic role). The basic musical elements of Peking opera include arias, musical speech (recitatives), and instrumental music. Though instrumental music has many functions in Peking opera, its most important function is to accompany the singing and the physical movements and dance. The instrumental ensemble is made up of two components: the melodic (wenchang) and the percussion (wuchang). The percussion ensemble is basically made up of five instruments. The danpigu (single-headed drum), ban (paired wooden clapper), xiaoluo (small going that produces rising pitch), and naoba (small pair of cymbals). The music of the percussion ensemble is comprised of sixty conventional rhythmic patterns, all which help to indicate kinds of dramatic situations, atmospheres, or moods. Other functions that these percussion pattern perform include accompanying fighting scenes, producing sound effects, and indicating entrances and exits of dramatic personages and their social status to name just a few. The instruments of the melodic ensemble of the Peking opera are mostly comprised of strings and winds, as well as a set of ten small, suspended pitched gongs called the yunluo. The strings include the jinghu (2-stringed bamboo spiked fiddle with high, piercing pitch), the erhu, the yueqin, and a small sanxian. The winds are the dizi transverse flute, the sheng, and the big and small suona (double-reed oboes). The primary functions of the melodic ensemble are to play introductions and interludes for arias, to accompany arias, and to play incidental music for dance and miming movements. The instrumental ensemble only contains nine players in the entire ensemble. Therefore, the players are obviously very versatile, and can usually play more than one instrument. For instance, one who plays both the single-headed drum and the clapper also plays the big and small barrel drum. Vocal music in Peking opera is comprised of arias, recitatives, and heightened speech. Heightened speech is used exclusively, however, by important characters and characters of high social status, while everyday speech is used by the comics and the characters of lower social status. All Peking-opera arias derive from a group of about thirty pre-existent tune-and-rhythm patterns called ban. By setting the same melodic-rhythmic type to a different text, a new aria is produced. Defined in terms of their rhythm, tempo, and timbre, five main aria types can be identified: the narrative aria, lyrical aria, animated aria, dramatic aria, and interjected aria. In conclusion, in the Peking opera, the oral and visual elements are both equally important. The actors have both mastered highly stylized acting techniques, just as thoroughly as singing. Also, audiences of Peking operas have been shrinking rapidly. One reason is because conventions of this opera-type are deeply rooted in an old society based on Confusion moral precepts and political outlooks. Although the government has tried to remedy this by taking certain form measures, it has not caused for a significant change. Theater

What Can An Essay Sample On The Crusades Do For Your Writing?

What Can An Essay Sample On The Crusades Do For Your Writing?An essay sample on the Crusades is a great way to learn how to write an essay. This is an extremely long essay that makes up the basic outline of an essay on the Crusades. This kind of writing is often difficult to begin with and will be even more so when you get to the various sections. But if you can make it through all of this then you will find that it is easier than you thought to write an essay that is excellent.This kind of essay usually involves writing about a person or an event that has a particular event attached to it. For example, there might be a general from the time period covered in the essay who did something similar to what happened in the war that occurred during the time period covered in the essay. Maybe they made a mistake, or maybe they did something good in the way that he helped to keep the overall peace in the area. The essay would then have to discuss this.An essay sample on the Crusades should n ot only cover the entire time period, but also discuss events that happened during that time period. You will need to show how a general or someone else in the area acted or thought as a result of the events that took place during the wars. For example, if someone was a prisoner of war, you should mention how he was treated during his imprisonment. If he was a general in the military, you might need to mention that he did something good for the overall good of the entire area.The essay sample on the Crusades is also a great way to learn how to write an essay. This is an extremely long essay that makes up the basic outline of an essay on the Crusades. This kind of writing is often difficult to begin with and will be even more so when you get to the various sections.An essay sample on the Crusades will not be successful if you can't organize your thoughts and create a structure for your essay. This is the foundation of any successful writing, especially an essay on the Crusades. If yo u aren't able to arrange your thoughts, you won't be able to effectively organize your essay. It isn't difficult to do, but just like many things in life, it will take some time to get the hang of.So how can you go about writing an essay on the Crusades, an essay sample or anything else for that matter? One thing you should remember is that an essay sample doesn't have to be something that's very long. In fact, it should only be a paragraph or two long. These are the very basic guidelines for essay writing, and these should be followed wherever possible.When you begin writing an essay, make sure that you leave some time between each sentence. Once you get to the very beginning, then it will get a little bit more difficult. Don't be discouraged, just keep going. It's much like an athlete taking some time off before an important competition.An essay sample on the Crusades is a great way to learn how to write an essay. This kind of writing is often difficult to begin with and will be e ven moreso when you get to the various sections. If you can make it through all of this then you will find that it is easier than you thought to write an essay that is excellent.

Sample Recommendation Letter for Graduate School

Sample Recommendation Letter for Graduate School Whether youre applying to business school, medical school, law school, or another program, most graduate school applicants are going to need two to three letters of recommendation that will be submitted to the admissions committee (along with your undergraduate transcripts, standardized test scores, essays, etc.) as part of the application process. Not every school requires letters of recommendation. You can often get by without one at some online schools and even brick-and-mortar schools that have more relaxed admission requirements. However, schools with highly competitive admissions processes (i.e. the ones that get a lot of applicants but dont have classroom space for everyone) use recommendation letters, in part, to determine whether or not you are a fit for their school. Why Graduate Schools Ask for Recommendations Graduate schools seek recommendations for the same reason employers require career references. They want to know what people who have seen your work and experienced your efforts firsthand have to say about you. Nearly every other resource you provide to a school is a first-person accounting. Your rà ©sumà © is your interpretation of your career achievements, your essay answers a question with your opinion or tells a story from your point of view, and your admissions interview includes questions that, again, are answered from your point of view. A recommendation letter, on the other hand, is all about someone elses perspective on you, your potential, and your accomplishments.   Most graduate schools encourage you to choose a reference who knows you well. This ensures that their letter of recommendation will actually have substance and wont simply be full of fluff or vague opinions about your work attitude and academic performance. Someone who knows you well will be able to provide well-informed opinions and concrete examples to back them up.   Sample Letter of Recommendation for Grad School This is a sample recommendation for a graduate school applicant was written by the applicants college dean, who was familiar with the applicants academic achievements. The letter is short but does an ample job of emphasizing things that would be important to a graduate school admissions committee, such as  GPA, work ethic, and leadership ability. Notice how the writer includes plenty of adjectives to describe the person being recommended. Theres also an example of how the subjects leadership capability has helped others. To Whom It May Concern: As the Dean of Stonewell College, I have had the pleasure of knowing Hannah Smith for the last four years. She has been a tremendous student and an asset to our school. I would like to take this opportunity to recommend Hannah for your graduate program. I feel confident that she will continue to succeed in her studies. Hannah is a dedicated student and thus far, her grades have been exemplary. In class, she has proven to be a take-charge person who is able to successfully develop plans and implement them. Hannah has also assisted us in our admissions office. She has successfully demonstrated leadership ability by counseling new and prospective students. Her advice has been a great help to these students, many of whom have taken time to share their comments with me regarding her pleasant and encouraging attitude. It is for these reasons that I offer high recommendations for Hannah without reservation. Her drive and abilities will truly be an asset to your establishment. If you have any questions regarding this recommendation, please do not hesitate to contact me. Sincerely, Roger Fleming Dean of Stonewell College As positive as this letter is, it would have been even stronger if the writer had provided additional specific examples of his students achievements, or had pointed to quantifiable results. For example, he could have included the numbers of students the subject had worked with or detailed specific instances in which she had helped others. Examples of any plans shed developed, how she implemented them, and what the outcome was once they were put to use would have been useful as well.  The more detailed the letter, the more likely it is to tip the admissions scale in your favor.

Article # 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Article # 4 - Essay Example that patients who received â€Å"sustained care† were â€Å"70% to 71% more likely to be non-smokers after six months than the patients who got the usual care, the researchers found† (Kaplan). The intensive program would cost $4,910 per quitter in the first year and $2,670 per person for the succeeding years (Kaplan). The elements of strategic management that are included in the article are strategic financial and human resources that are part of the strengths of the organization, and they are related to the article because these resources demonstrate how essential they are to successful anti-smoking programs. The financial resources refer to the money needed to buy the medication, pay for health care services, and sustain the toll-free support line for quitters. Human resources pertain to doctors, counselors, and help line operators who provide various health care services and support. These resources are strengths because they provide effective point-of-service and after-service consultation for patients. The article indicates that the entire service delivery process must work together in providing effective and efficient care for patients who want to quit smoking. Point-of-service and after-service are critical because quitters need different approaches that fit their health care needs, and these approaches must be sustained until they are ready to stop smoking without them. For these patients, they need both free sustained medicine and counseling/help line support to help them quit. After-service processes can reinforce the effectiveness of point-of-service processes. The basic meaning of this news is that a health care organization should have successful therapies or programs to maximize their strategic resources. This article will help me succeed in this class and in my employment by showing me the value of different services in providing successful health care. In class, this article made me more aware of analyzing service processes and their

Amazon Incorporation analisys Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Amazon Incorporation analisys - Research Paper Example art from this, Amazon.com also presents millions of ethnic and unique as well as refurbished items of varied categories such as books, movies, music & games, electronics and computers; home & garden; toys; kids and baby; grocery; apparel; shoes and jewelry; health and beauty; sports and outdoor; and tools, auto and industrial and many others. This is one of the prime causes that lead to the development of Amazon.com and also improved its portfolio within the minds of the customers. Side by side, technological innovation also enhanced the growth of Amazon.com in the world among others. Other than this, due to wide range of products, international retail websites, worldwide network of fulfillment along with customer service centers enhanced its growth to a significant extent. This helped Amazon.com to become a Fortune 100 company. Due to which, the economic performance of the organization improved to a certain extent as compared as shown in the below graph: Economic performance of Amaz on.com Thus, due to its vision to expand in numerous countries with the help of internet enhanced the goal of becoming the number one organization in the entire world. 2. SWOT analysis Strength: Amazon is one of the most reputed and profitable organization. In 2005, it enhanced a significant growth due to its wide range of products at a competitive price. Although due to implementation of huge initial set up costs, Amazon suffered high level of loss. However, in order to increase its profit margin, it presented wide range of products at a competitive cost. This acted as a boon for the organization to increase its portfolio and popularity in the online sector. The high level of promotion also helped the customers of Amazon.com to increase its awareness about the products. Customer... Amazon is one of the most reputed and profitable organization. In 2005, it enhanced a significant growth due to its wide range of products at a competitive price. Although due to the implementation of huge initial set up costs, Amazon suffered the high level of loss. However, in order to increase its profit margin, it presented wide range of products at a competitive cost. This acted as a boon for the organization to increase its portfolio and popularity in the online sector. The high level of promotion also helped the customers of Amazon.com to increase its awareness about the products. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is also another renowned business strategy that improved its net sales and profit margin. Information Technology (IT) also supported Amazon.com to improve its economic performance and growth. Along with this, it also helped the customers to access the site from varied locations in order to attain the products. Amazon is also a global brand and also the original dotcoms due to the presence of the huge range of customer in the entire world. It became the first online retailer due to the presence of e-commerce techniques. This enhanced the performance and ROI of the organization in the world that proved extremely significant for it

Financial Crisis and Recovery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Financial Crisis and Recovery - Essay Example As a result of higher spending, the US had significantly expanded the economy to be much longer and stronger than before. However, it can be argued that the structural change in the US economy did not influence the recessionary periods to be shorter and milder (Tseng, â€Å"Follow Canada? Only at Your Own Risk†) For instance, the US economy had to witness eleven recessionary instances since the great depression. Consequently, the average GDP growth for the ten recessionary instances until 2001 was recorded as -0.7% which signifies that the economic recession in the US was not at all mild. However, the records depict that the longest recession was witnessed by the US in 1973 and 2007 which continued for two years. This signifies that even though the US economic recession was shorter, the frequency of such instances had increased substantially (Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, â€Å"The Financial Crisis and Recovery: Why so Slow?†). According to Keynesian theory, when the spending of an economy increases, the earning of people also increases. The basis of the theory is that whenever an individual spends a portion of his/her earning, it is likely to support the earning of other individuals (Greiner, â€Å"Models of Economic Growth†). This cycle of earning and spending can enable an economy to sustain its expansion. In response to the reason for slow growth of economy according to Keynesian theory, it can be stated that after the recession of 2007, the banks and the financial institutions had faced significant problems which had interrupted the flow of credit. In order to deal with the economic recession, the financial regulations in different nations have become much tighter and stricter than before, resulting in low access to finance.  

Essay on Aristophanes’ Lysistrata :: Lysistrata

The Lysistrata Aristophanes was a "craft" comedy poet in the fourth century B.C. during the time of the Peloponnesian War. Aristophanes' usual style was to be too satirical, and suggesting the outlandish. He shows little mercy when mocking Socrates and his "new-fangled ideas" which were most likely designed to destroy the cohesiveness of society and lead to anarchy, in his play The Clouds. The most absurd and humorous of Aristophanes' comedies are those in which the main characters, the heroes of the story, are women. Smart women. One of the most famous of Aristophanes' comedies depicting powerfully effectual women is the Lysistrata, named after the female lead character of the play. It portrays Athenian Lysistrata and the women of Athens teaming up with the women of Sparta to force their husbands to end the Peloponnesian War. To make the men agree to a peace treaty, the women seized the Acropolis, where Athens' financial reserves are kept, and prevented the men from squandering them further on the war. They then beat back an attack on their position by the old men who have remained in Athens while the younger men are out on campaign. When their husbands return from battle, the women refuse to have sex with them. This sex strike, which is portrayed in a series of exaggerated and blatant sexual innuendoes, finally convinces the men of Athens and Sparta to agree to a peace treaty. The Lysistrata shows women acting bravely and even aggressively against men who seem resolved on ruining the city-state by prolonging a pointless war and excessively expending reserves stored in the Acropolis. This in turn added to the destruction of their family life by staying away from home for long stretches while on military campaign. The men would come home when they could, sexually relieve themselves, and then leave again to continue a senseless war. The women challenge the masculine role model to preserve the traditional way of life of the community. When the women become challenged themselves, they take on the masculine characteristics and attitudes and defeat the men physically, mentally but most of all strategically. Proving that neither side benefits from it, just that one side loses more than the other side. It's easy to see why fourth century B.