On Sunday, October 20, 2019, I attended a faculty music recital at 3:00 pm. It was in the Recital Hall at the Center for the Performing Arts building located at Prince George's Community College. The faculty recital featured the likes of 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 struck me the most was Schubert's Gretchen am Spinnrade (Gretchen at the Spinning Wheel). Franz Schubert (1797-1828) is considered the first master of romantic art song. He was born in Vienna to the son of a schoolmaster and at the age of eleven became an altar boy in the court chapel. As a child he was so musically talented that his teacher praised him, saying, "If I wanted to instruct him in something new, he already knew it." Schubert received the scholarship to the Imperial Seminary at the age of eleven. During his late teens, Schubert worked at his father's school but hated the job. His love for art songs led him to compose his first major work entitled Gretchen am Spinnrade. Schubert never held official positions but all his income came from musical compositions which were performed in the homes of the educated Viennese bourgeoisie after he left teaching school. He expressed his love of songwriting to a friend by saying, "I came into the world for no other purpose than to compose." He composed more than 600 songs: symphonies, string quartets, chamber music for piano and strings, piano sonatas, short pieces for two-handed and four-handed piano, masses and operatic compositions. Unfortunately, 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 elements of music. The use of a wide range of dynamics enhances the emotion of the overall piece. There is a part in this piece where the composition grows from soft to loud. This leads to climax and creates a feeling of intense desire. As he dreams, it is evident that he grows stronger and stronger before losing control. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In the final part of the song, dynamics are used in the song as she fantasizes about how ashamed she is to say “and on his kisses I would die!” There is a great contrast between this part and the soft chorus that emphasizes her misery. The tempo slows down and speeds up as her emotions alternate as Gretchen mentions “and oh! Subsequently the piano movement slowly resumes. Gretchen am Spinnrade consists of a homophonic plot. This is because the main melody is accompanied by the piano. Attention is focused on the melody but is also supported by sounds of subordinate interest. The melody seems to be similar for each verse but with few differences. The sense of continuity is reinforced by the rippling piano part that is heard at the beginning of each piece to represent Gretchen spinning the wheel as she sings. A key change can be heard at the beginning of the fourth verse when Gretchen describes her lover's physical appearance. There is a consonant harmony presented to represent Gretchen's positive emotions. The frequent modulation symbolizes Gretchen's conflicting emotions and distracted moods. Faculty artists Nakia Verner and Gary Kirkeby gave the audience an exceptional performance. It was obvious that Verner was well prepared musically as his voice, his high notes did not.