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“Ode to Joy”

Composed by: Ludwig Van Beethoven

Written by: Evelyn, Norah, Zoe

“Ode to Joy” comes from the fourth movement of symphony no. 9. This song was composed by Ludwig Van Beethoven. “Ode to Joy” was written in Germany in 1824. The genre or type of music of this song is romantic. It is a symphonic orchestra piece. The mood of this piece would be different if it was used with different instruments because it changes how the piece sounds. We really enjoy this song because all of the parts combined make a beautiful-sounding piece of music. We also like that this song starts pianissimo (very soft) and then gets forte (loud)  as it goes on. When we play “Ode to Joy” we feel relaxed in the beginning and at the same time, we feel excited. Our favorite part of “Ode to Joy is how all three parts played together sounded really energetic and relaxing. We all play similar parts, but when played together, each part sounds unique.

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“A Prayer for You”

Composed by:

Written by: Dio & William

On September 11th, 2001, the World Trade Center was destroyed in an attack by terrorists, thousands of lives were lost. It was a tragedy felt by every American across the country. In this time of sorrow in Wisconsin, a Hmong woman named Vilay Her wanted to do something to help the families of the people whose lives were lost. The result was “A Prayer for You”.  “A Prayer for You” is a song about hope in times of sorrow and persevering when times are hard. There is a feeling of loss and longing in this song.

“A Prayer for you” is a folk song written in Wausau, Wisconsin and is usually performed by a choir. We like this song because it’s a beautiful song with a powerful message and an inspiring origin. It's also a very melancholic song. While playing this song we learned how to play in rounds and improve my performance with pick-up notes. We like the song in its entirety but especially the third part of the song because there feels as if there is a lot of emotion.

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“An Irish Party in Third Class”

Composed by: Gaelic Storm

Written by: Emily, Khalia, Doua, Pajntoo

“An Irish Party in Third Class” was composed by the Celtic band “Gaelic Storm” in Santa Monica, California in 1997. This music piece is based on the story of the third class of passengers riding in the Titanic. The third class is the lowest and most underprivileged class on the ship and they are thought of as pigs. The genre of this music is folk. The instruments that are included in this music piece are the fiddle, pipes, concertina, and the bodhran. Our favorite part in “Irish Party in Third Class” is the ending because it’s catchy and it’s fun to play. We like this song because of its beat and rhythm, we also learned how to slur better, play faster, and keep in beat with others.

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“Winter”

Composed by:

Written by: Laila and Johanna

Vivaldi composed a song called “The Four Seasons” and one movement of it is called “Winter”. It was written in 1720 in Italy. It is a Baroque style of music and it is by a string orchestra.There is a poem that Vivaldi wrote before composing Winter. The music is supposed to sound like icicles dropping in parts. We feel that this song helps us learn to play on tempo and together. Vivaldi, when he wrote this song, was describing how winter felt. He describes the feeling of snow and the bitter cold and how it can be calm one moment and stormy the next. The pace is brisk and upbeat in places and even in others. We like this song because it is played in a minor scale and it has different rhythms in different parts of the song. It also has many Italian terms in the music. It also varies in speed and it’s very interesting.

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“Senor MacDonald”

Composed by: Bonnie Greene

Written by: Jullian & Sao

“Señor MacDonald” is a song composed by Bonnie Greene. It is a folk song written in 1989 in Madison, Wisconsin. It is composed of orchestra and Latin percussion instruments. The skill that we learned through the song was syncopated rhythms. The parts that we like are measures 17-20. We enjoy how this part sounds, and we think it is very strong, energetic, and makes us feel excited.

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“Power and Pulse”

Composed by: Brian Balmages

Written by the 7th Grade Orchestra Class

“Power and Pulse” is a piece composed by Brian Balmages and featured at the end of “Measures of Success, Book 1”, a book used by LaCrosse orchestra students. The 7th grade orchestra described the piece as follows: “The music is attention-grabbing, intense, and strong. It makes us feel fearful, excited and proud. It reminds us of a villain in a story, gradually getting more powerful. What will they do with that power? Our favorite section of the piece is measure 23-30, right before the opening theme comes back. When we stop here we wonder, what will happen next? We are left hanging in suspense.”

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Composed by: James Pierpont and arranged by Jessica MacDonald
Written by: Mrs. Becker
"Jingle Bells" is one of the most famous American songs, written in the 1850's to commemorate a sleigh race usually held around Thanksgiving in Medford, Massachussets. In modern times it is associated with the Holiday season. On December 16, 1965, 'Jingle Bells' became the first song to be broadcast FROM space when the astronauts on the Gemini VI rocket sang and played the song on a harmonica with sleigh bells during a communication with Mission Control. Jessica MacDonald is the orchestra teacher at Longfellow and Co-Director of The River City Strings. She arranged the song for the fiddle group to play at Rotary Lights.