Listening to the musicPowerPoint

Taylor Goodsell November 10, 2010

Biography: Jon Schmidt Born in Salt Lake City, Utah on July 9th 1966 Parents immigrated to the U.S. from

Germany Father was a classical pianist and wanted

John to be well versed in music like himself.

Notes: With the guidance of his musician father, Schmidt could easily play classical compositions that are meant for only seasoned pianists. Both of Jon’s parents had a taste for classical music that he immediately picked up on.

At 10, Schmidt was making appearances on stage with his father› Audiences enjoyed watching such a young boy play

but his true talent wasn’t fully recognized till much later

Near the age of five, Schmidt was listening to compositions of classical composers› Parents exposed him to many different instruments,

but piano was his instrument of choice. › Could also play many of the classical pieces he

enjoyed listening to at a young age.

Notes: Enjoyed listening to the likes of Mozart and Beethoven at a young age. Known to make appearances of stage with his father. Seeing such a young and talented musician perform was astonishing to most of the audiences who watched, however, the world didn’t recognize Schmidt’s talents until much later in his life.

Quit teaching piano at the age of 16 to peruse a career as a professional pianist

August End was Schmidt’s first album to be produced› Followed by seven other albums and seven piano

books for children and adults Most popular album is Hymns Without Words

› Most of the tracks were written by other composers and Schmidt put his own personal touch to them.

Notes: August End (produced 1991 by JS Productions) , Hymns Without Words (produced 2006 by JS Productions) all albums stayed true to the character of his first album

Since the release of Hymns Without Words, Schmidt has gone for a more modern approach › His new song, Viva la Vida meets Love Story is

one of his top selling tracks of his career› In the song, he mixes classical playing with new

age rhythm. › The song also includes a classical cellist

Notes: Schmidt’s influences range from Beethoven to Billy Joel, which makes his musical style truly one of a kind and most definitely recognizable to listeners. Having played alongside the likes of David Arkenstone, John Tesh, Kurt Bestor, Lex de Azevedo, and Peter Breinholt, Schmidt keeps showing his abilities as a pianist to play with many genres of music.

Compositions Christopher’s Song

› Released in 1966 on Schmidt’s sixth album, A Day In The Sunset Inspired by the likes of David Arkenstone

because of instrumentals that accompany piano

Written for his son Christopher› Starts off slow in tempo then gradually gets faster

and more up beat› Change in tempo indicates to listeners that things

always get better in the end› Woodwinds, drums and guitar are added toward

the middle of the song to make the end more up beat like his son is said to be

Notes: By mixing variations of instruments with fast and slow tempos , harsh and pleasing tones, and staccato notes with long drawn out chords, Schmidt keeps the song interesting and inspiring to the listener through his intricate playing. the song much more lively than in the beginning where just the piano is playing. Also, the overall tone of the instruments becomes more pleasing as the song progresses.

Schmidt with his three children

All of Me› Released in 1991 in Schmidt’s August

End album › Highlights his true talent as a pianist

Plays the song quickly while still being precise

One harmony is played in the treble clef while a separate harmony is played in the bass clef

Schmidt spent more time writing All of Me than almost any other of his compositions› Also was the first song he preformed after

releasing his album› Second most popular song he has ever

producedNotes: All of Me, is a fitting title for this composition because of the extraordinary amount of work into writing. Also, it was the very first song Schmidt preformed after releasing his first album.

Listening Guide: Don’t Stop Believin’-

Journey› Comprised of an

introduction, 4 verses, a chorus, and one bridge

› Introduction begins with just the piano playing the harmony Played in quadruple

meter Played in bass clef but

still up beatNotes: The lyrics begin still with no accompaniment other than the piano. None of the lines rhyme with each other, however the 1st and 3rd lines in the verse have rhyme within themselves. Also, the 2nd and 4th lines are the identical other than one says “she” and the other says “he”

Throughout the song:› The piano harmony changes at the

beginning of verses and choruses› Electric guitar, drums, and synthesizer are

brought in to make the song more up beat and to add texture.

› Tempo speeds up during choruses and slows down during verses. Tempo of piano is always in the same meter.

Only the tempo of the singer and other instruments change

By the end of the song:› Ends with the bridge; made of three verses

High pitched guitar solo leads the song from the last chorus to the bridge

Accentuates last word of every line› The tempo is the same as in the chorus

(faster than the rest of the song)› All instruments are still playing, including

vocals, volume just slowly fades down

Ben Folds Five- Brick› Comprised of and introduction, four verses,

a chorus, a chorus add-on and › Begins with piano playing harmony

Guitar, drums and vocals are added in by verse one

Piano plays the same harmony throughout the song Plays in quadruple meter Drums alternate between duple and quadruple

Throughout the song:

› Tempo shifts between choruses and verses Choruses are more upbeat while verses are slower in

tempo and the singer is softer By the end of the song:

› Ends after the final chorus on an upbeat tone› Drums begin playing eight beats per minute in the

fourth verse to lead into the end of the song The cello, then the drums, are taken out one after

another then the piano slowly fades out as the song ends.

Notes: The instruments remain the same as in the chorus during the chorus add-on which helps the song to end on an upbeat note. Also, similarly to the chorus, every other line in the chorus add-on rhymes with each other. During the last line, the drums suddenly begin playing eight notes per measure and increase even further in tempo by the end of the line to make the end of the song more lively and so the verse will flow directly into the chorus.

Ben Folds- Landed› Comprised of and introduction, four verses,

a chorus, a chorus add-on and a bridge› Introduction begins with piano playing the

harmony quickly in quadruple meter By verse one the tempo slows down and

guitar, drums and vocals are added Piano reverts back to harmony played in the

introduction during each chorus and during the bridge and chorus add-on

By the end of the song› Instruments are double

the temp they started with

› Artist puts in a bridge to give variation

› Song ends with the chorus add-on which includes background singers The instruments and

the background singers are still playing and singing while the volume slowly decreases.

Notes: The normal harmony of the piano begins again at the start of the chorus. As previously mentioned, the first four lines are the same as the other choruses’ while the final line is different.

Sources:

Dillon, Charlotte. "Jon Schmidt Biography." Yahoo Music. Yahoo Inc., 2010. Web. 03 Sep 2010. <http://www.new.music.yahoo.com>.

Schmidt, Jon. "Biography." Jon Schmidt. JSP Productions, 05 Jun 2009. Web. 05 Sep 2010. <http://www.jonschmidt.com>.

Webmaster, John. "Jon Schmidt Biography." Lost.FM. CBS Music Interactive Music Group, 04 Feb 2007. Web. 05 Sep 2010. <http://www.lastfm.com>.

www.lyricsfreak.com