Classical Music Concert Review

Order Description
Paragraph 1: Introduction
• Date & place of the performance
• Title of performance
• Name of performing group or ensemble
• Type of music presented (instrumental, choral/vocal, or combination)
Paragraph 2: Setting & General Music Description
• Briefly describe the concert setting (hall, performers’ dress)
• Were any program notes provided, giving you background information on the pieces
performed and their composers?
• Did anyone discuss the music before or during the performance?
• Which genres, or types, of music were performed? (symphonic music, chamber music,
vocal music, opera, etc. Please see descriptions listed on p. 7 of this document)
• What historical eras were represented on the program? (pre-1600, Baroque, Classical,
Romantic, 20th Century.) You can usually tell this information by looking for the birth
& death dates of the composers, often listed next to their names. Please see your
textbook for further descriptions of the historical eras.
• If program notes were provided, did you read them? Were they helpful?
Paragraph 3: Musical Description
1. Briefly describe the first piece on the program in your own words. If the piece is a large
work with multiple movements (or sections), just describe the first movement. Please
include
• The name of the piece
• The name of the composer
• Birth and death dates of the composer if included in the program (usually found right
next to the composer’s name on the program)
• Instrument, vocal range, or ensemble
• General mood of the work