Contextual Analysis of Art Work

   It is not an easy thing to pick one particular artwork to discuss as per its contextual concepts. So, it was a difficult choice for me to find and pick one artwork, which I can discuss, and which can also be compared with work from Module 1 and Module 2. The artwork chosen for this analysis is “Dance of the Knights” by Sergei Prokofiev. It is important to mention here that Sergei Prokofiev has been one of the giants in the industry of music as a Russian composer. His music composition has been phenomenal in so many ways, but his piece Dance of the Knights for Romeo and Juliet was an amazing piece of music. April 23rd was the day in 1891 when Sergei Prokofiev was born. He was fond of music from his early childhood, as he came up with his first composition just at the age of five, and he was just nine years old when he came up with his first opera. He first made his name by becoming a piano composer, but later turned his focus to Opera. This is how he kept working to introduce wonderful music compositions (Classic FM).

            The people having love and essence for art and music cannot stay away from the beautiful story of Romeo and Juliet and then a beautiful composition made by Sergei Prokofiev. This music created by Sergei Prokofiev could not be matched with any other music which can be relatable to the story of Romeo and Juliet. His tune became a theme tune and even it was used for “The Apprentice”, a famous TV program (ClassicFM). It is vital to mention here that it was 1935 when ballet composed by Sergei Prokofiev was included in the Romeo and Juliet (toplayalong.com). There were a variety of elements, which were used in this orchestra such as percussion, strings, woodwinds, and brass. He developed two melodies, which were being used for the story’s two families. When part A of the composition listens carefully, it tells that there is a lot of contrast between the strings and horns. The use of the instrument in this music piece has been so beautiful, and later violin was also added into it. There was some aggressive tone in the first part, but the second part was different in a way that was quite calm. Here, the flute has been used for the first time giving great melody. However, I can say that both parts have been very dynamic (Green)

            It is vital to tell that Dance of the Knights is also famous with another name, which is "Montagues and Capulets" My reason for liking and choosing this particular piece of music is its popularity. If we take some of the most famous 20th-century music compositions attracting so many people, then Dance of the Knights easily gets into that list. There are three orchestral suits associated with Romeo and Juliet, and Dance of the Knights comes in its 2nd suite. The style of his music composition was classical. There are various instruments, which were used in the process. The things which really fascinate me about Romeo and Juliet are its variety and dynamic themes being applied through a variety of instruments. Some of the famous instruments used in this ballet were violin, trombone, oboe, flute, clarinet, saxophone, as well as, trumpet. The combination and triplet of these instruments produced some magical sounds, which really kept the audience interested. You don’t often get such a beautiful composition, which not only adjust with the elements of a story but also connects well with the audience to keep them interested (Philip)

            If the music of the composition is analyzed by listening more carefully, then it also revealed many other fascinating things about it. The primary melody used in this ballet is having a tone, which can be said to be ominous, imposing, as well as, dark. If the 13th musical number is analyzed in specific terms, it shows that it is not only shocking but loud as well because it is relating itself with the dramatic scenes of the story. However, it is important to note down that a loud melody is not part of the ballet throughout; rather the audience got the pleasure of having a gentle and lighter type of melody. The lighter melody has a tone, which sounded more peaceful. If the texture of the music piece is analyzed, it can be said that it is having a homophonic element. The one kind of instrument looked to be more dominant than the other instruments being played in the background. One more thing which I like about Sergei Prokofiev and his music peace is the fact that he made things more relatable and attractive by elaborating things in a descriptive way. His version for Romeo and Juliet was a classic piece of art, which had the essence of experimentalism linked with the Soviets, but it also had the elements of optimistic tragedy as well (Wilson)

            It is time to compare this artwork with the work, which I analyzed during Module 1 and Module 2. In module 1, my topic was Campbell’s Soups Cans and it was by a writer named Andy Warhol. This writer was from America and his life span was from 1928 – 1987. A different thing which I found in module 1 and that kept me for the observation and then its analysis was, the artists made each and everything on point and no matter how many cans were being made up but each and everything was so accurate and made properly. The cans that were being designed and painted were then used by the company. When his work is analyzed in comparison with the Dance of the Knights, it can be said that both artworks are very much identical in terms of their perfection, which both artists have brought into their work. However, it is vital to understand that when similar kinds of artworks are analyzed and compared, then things are quite similar to relate and discuss, but when the art of painting is analyzed with the art of music, it can be a complex task to handle. It is tough to do so because both artworks are from different categories, however, still, the artists can sue similar kind of styles.

            On the other hand, the topic for Module 2 was Notre Dame Cathedral. This module is entirely different from module 1 as this is about architecture and how it was built up. Well this Notre Dame Cathedral is present in a city Paris. This is known to be one of the finest examples of the French Gothic architecture. It was being constructed by the architecture by the name of the Virgin Mary and its construction started in 1163 and it was completed in 1345. This building in actual was one of the first buildings in a whole world for the incorporation of the flying buttresses as a means for the support of exterior walls. It is evident that Module 1 and Module 2 had differences with each other, and these two modules are also different from Dance of the Knights. When Module 2 is compared with Sergei Prokofiev’s composition, it is evident that Dance of the Knights had nothing to do with religion, and there was no such mention in the story as well. But Notre Dame Cathedral is related to an artwork, which is relevant to the essence of religion (Elsen, Mertens and Balen)

Word Count: 1240

Works Cited of Contextual Analysis of Art Work

Classic FM. Prokofiev: 15 facts about the great composer. 2020. 19 April 2020 <https://www.classicfm.com/composers/prokofiev/guides/facts-gallery/prokofiev-stalin/>.

ClassicFM. Sergei Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet. 2020. 19 April 2020 <https://www.classicfm.com/composers/prokofiev/music/romeo-and-juliet/>.

Elsen, Jan , Gilles Mertens and Koenraad Van Balen. "Raw materials used in ancient mortars from the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Tournai (Belgium)." European Journal of Mineralogy 23.6 (2011): 871-882.

Green, Aaron . An Expert's Guide to Sergey Prokofiev's 'Dance of the Knights'. 2018. 19 April 2020 <https://www.liveabout.com/prokofievs-dance-of-the-knights-724405>.

Philip, Robert . The Classical Music Lover's Companion to Orchestral Music. Yale University Press, 2018.

toplayalong.com. Prokofiev - Dance of the Knights. 2020. 19 April 2020 <http://toplayalong.com/sheet-music/prokofiev-dance-of-the-knights-violin/>.

Wilson, Deborah Annette. "Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet: history of a compromise." PhD Thesis. The Ohio State University, 2003.