Midterm Music Presentation

The first song is Vivir Mi Vida by Marc Anthony. He is the top-selling salsa artist of all
time and he is also well known for Latin pop. His birth name is Marco Antonio Muniz, and both
of his parents are from Puerto Rico. He was born and raised in New York City and grew up
listening to a lot of Latin music. He has been active since 1988 and Vivir Mi Vida, released in
2013, was one of his biggest hits. To date, he has sold more than 12 million albums and won
several Grammy and Latin Grammy awards. While he is primarily known as a singer, Marc
Anthony has had a successful acting career as well.
In the introduction, the crowd begins with the lines Voy a reir, voy a bailar, which
becomes a repetitive melody in the song. Vivir Mi Vida is different from many songs in that it
begins with the chorus and not a verse. Then Marc Anthony joins the crowd. The singing goes
back and forth between the crowd and him. Throughout the song, there are a lot of percussion
instruments and keyboard which form the base of the sound. While he or the crowd are singing,
the percussion and keyboard form the background. The general hook of the song that one would
take away is the line Vivir mi vida!. The trumpet is something else to pay attention to; it
provides a lot of the energy and plays the transitions between verses. Occasionally the trumpets
emphasize certain parts of the lyrics, such as in pa QUE, sufrir . The song generally has a

1. Biography.com editors, Marc Anthony Biography, Biography.com, accessed 20 October

2015, http://www.biography.com/people/marc-anthony-241193

1. Biography.com editors, Marc Anthony Biography, Biography.com, accessed 20 October

2015, http://www.biography.com/people/marc-anthony-241193

homophonic structure, switching between Marc Anthony singing and the crowd chanting Voy a
reir, voy a bailar. The singing is the main melodic voice throughout much of the song, except
for during the instrumental breaks. The percussion and keyboard are the harmony underneath the
singing and they are consonant in structure. Towards the end, the trumpet comes in for a final
fiery instrumental break, which leads into Anthony and the crowd singing together in a
homorhythmic way that ends the song. The meter was duple simple, which is very common for
Latin music. The overall form of the song is: chorus, verse, chorus, instrumental break, verse,
chorus, instrumental break, chorus, instrumental break, and chorus. This key was major because
it had a happy feeling.
I never listened to much salsa music until this summer when I went to Nicaragua for my
DukeEngage project. There I was introduced to it and immediately loved it. I enjoy Vivir Mi
Vida because of its high energy and overall happy feeling. When I listen to the song, I want to
start dancing to the beat and sing along with Marc Anthony, just like the crowd does.
The second piece is First Suite in E-flat by Gustav Holst. He was one of the most famous
composers from the early 1900s. Born in England, he was widely influenced by other composers
like Richard Strauss and Richard Wagner. His most famous piece is a suite called The Planets, a
collection of 7 movements named after all the planets except Earth and Pluto. He composed two
suites for concert band, First Suite in E-flat and Second Suite in F. First Suite in E-flat is the
more famous one and is composed of three movements: Chaconne, Intermezzo, and March.

2. Kenric Taylor, The Gustav Holst Website, gustavholst.info. 20 October 2015.

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/717/05/

For the purposes of time, I will only explore Chaconne into more detail. The Chaconne begins
with the low brass in a monophonic structure. They are playing a short phrase that gets passed to
several instruments in the movement. The texture changes when the trumpets enter; it is now
homorhythmic, with the low brass forming the base of the pyramid. The line is then passed to the
clarinets and other woodwinds, all the while with the low brass. This is a small section, in that
it is very quiet. The oboes start playing staccato which segues to the trumpet solo. During the
trumpet solo, the woodwinds continue playing staccato. This then returns to the short phrase by
the low brass. This melody is a combination of conjunct and disjunct, because while most of the
intervals are close together, there are a few spots where it is farther apart. It then builds to
another section where the woodwinds have the moving line with the low brass providing support
and the trumpets emphasizing the down beats. After, the trumpets play the short phrase, there is a
forte chord that then dies away.
Out of that enters the French horn and clarinet playing in a polyphonic structure. The
oboes and saxophones then take control and play in a structure identical to that of the clarinet
and French horn. The French horn then enters with an inversion of the iconic phrase. This
inversion is then played by the trumpets and trombones, with the tubas providing harmony
underneath. The trumpets return with the original theme and that leads the way into the explosive
climax of the piece. This last section is played at a fortissimo with the low and upper brass
guiding towards the end. A final fortissimo E-flat major chord caps off the movement. This
movement was in major, as evident by the name of the suite, even though it seemed somber. The
meter was also quadruple simple. The harmony was devoid of dissonance, which may seem
contrary to the overall mood.

The Intermezzo and March movements are each very distinct from the Chaconne. All
three movement have different phrases that are considered to be the hooks. Intermezzo is much
lighter and more playful. It is generally played in a staccato style though there are periods of
legato flowing lines. The March sounds like a standard, stately English march. The trumpets are
very much in control and it is very crisp and precise sounding. While all three movements are
very different, they come together to form a dynamic suite.
First Suite in E-flat is considered a standard for many concert bands. It was really fun to
play this piece in high school, so it holds a special place in my heart. There are many
complexities involved, with the melody being passed around, and there is a whole array of stuff
going on underneath with the harmony and accompaniment. I would say this suite is
characterized by a strong brass presence, which really appeals to me as a trumpet player. While
First Suite in E-flat and Vivir Mi Vida are very different, they each have their own nuances and,
I like both of them.

Bibliography
Biography.com editors. Marc Anthony Biography. Biography.com. accessed 20 October 2015.
http://www.biography.com/people/marc-anthony-241193
Kenric Taylor. The Gustav Holst Website. gustavholst.info. 20 October 2015.
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/717/05/