On Sunday, October 20, 2019, I attended a Faculty Music Recital at 3 p.m. It was in the recital hall of the Center for the Performing Arts building located at Prince George's Community College. The faculty recital featured artists such as Nakia Verner, Richard Anatone and Gary Kirkeby. There were performances of musical instruments such as the piano and harpsichord, as well as vocal performances. Overall, the piece that stood out to me the most was Schubert's Gretchen am Spinnrade (Gretchen at the Spinning Wheel). Franz Schubert (1797-1828) is known as one of the first masters of romantic singing. He was born in Vienna to the son of a schoolteacher, and at the age of eleven he became an altar boy in the court chapel. He had musical talent as a child and his teacher praised him by saying, "If I wanted to teach him something new, he already knew it." » Schubert received a scholarship from the Imperial Seminary at the age of eleven. In his late teens, Schubert worked at his father's school but hated the job. His love for artistic songs led him to compose his first major work entitled Gretchen am Spinnrade. Schubert never held an official position, but all his income came from musical compositions performed in the homes of Vienna's cultured middle class after he abandoned teaching. He expressed his love for songwriting to a friend, saying, “I came into this world for the sole purpose of composing. » He composed more than 600 songs: symphonies, string quartets, chamber music for piano and strings, piano sonatas, short pieces for piano for two and four hands, masses and opera compositions. Sadly, Schubert lived a short life and died at the age of thirty-one. His works were recognized years after his death. Gretchen Spinnrade incorporates many different musical elements. The use of a wide range of dynamics enhances the emotion of the entire piece. There is a part in this piece where the composition changes from soft to loud. This leads to climax and creates a feeling of intense desire. While dreaming, it is evident that she is getting louder and louder before losing control. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In the last part of the song, dynamics are used in the song as she fantasizes about the shame she says "and about his kisses I was going to die!" » There is a great contrast between this part and the gentle refrain which highlights his misery. The tempo slows and speeds up as his emotions alternate. Two dissonant chords can be heard as Gretchen mentions “and oh! his kiss! The piano movement slowly resumes after that. Gretchen am Spinnrade consists of a homophonic texture. Indeed, the main melody is accompanied by the piano. Attention is focused on the melody but is also supported by sounds of secondary interest. The melody seems similar for each verse but with little difference. The sense of continuity is reinforced by the undulating piano part that is heard at the beginning of each song to represent Gretchen spinning the wheel as she sings. A key change can be heard at the beginning of the fourth stanza when Gretchen describes the physical appearance of her lover. A harmony of consonants is presented to represent Gretchen's positive emotions. The frequent modulation symbolizes Gretchen's conflicting emotions and distracted moods. University artists Nakia Verner and Gary Kirkeby gave an exceptional performance to the audience. It was obvious that Verner had.