blah blah blah blah balh blahblahblWord painting (also known as tone painting or text painting) is the musical technique of having the music mimic the literal meaning of a song. For example, ascending scales would accompany lyrics about going up; slow, dark music would accompany lyrics about death. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Composers began experimenting with word painting in Italian madrigals of the 16th and 17th centuries. Word painting flourished well into the Baroque music period. One well known example occurs in Handel's Messiah, where a tenor aria contains Handel's setting of the text: A madrigal is a setting for 4–6 voices of a secular text, often in Italian. ... Baroque music describes an era and a set of styles of European classical music which were in widespread use between approximately 1600 and 1750[1] (see Dates of classical music eras for a discussion of the problems inherent in defining the beginning and end points). ... “Handel” redirects here. ... Messiah (HWV 56), is an oratorio by George Frideric Handel based on a libretto by Charles Jennens. ... This article is about Tenor vocalists in music. ... An aria (Italian for air; plural: arie or arias in common usage) in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. ...

Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill made low; the crooked straight, and the rough places plain. (Isaiah 40:4)

In Handel's melody, the word "valley" ends on a low note, "exalted" is a rising figure; "mountain" forms a peak in the melody, and "hill" a smaller one, while "low" is another low note. "Crooked" is sung to a rapid figure of four different notes, while "straight" is sung on a single note, and in "the rough places plain," the final word "plain" is extended over several measures in a series of long notes. This can be seen in the following example: This article is about the Book of Isaiah. ...

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm A modern example of word painting from the late 20th century occurs in the song "Friends in Low Places" by Garth Brooks. During the chorus, Brooks sings the word "low" on a low note. Similarly, on The Who's album Tommy, the song "Smash the Mirror" contains the line Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2115x565, 229 KB) Summary Description: Measures 24-41 of the Tenor line of Every valley shall be exalted Handels Messiah Source: self-made on Sibelius 3. ... Friends in Low Places is a song released by American Country Music artist Garth Brooks. ... Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962 in Tulsa, Oklahoma) is an American country music singer-songwriter. ... The Who are an English rock band that first formed in 1964, and grew to be considered one of the greatest[1] and most influential[2] bands in the world. ... Alternate cover Deluxe edition cover Tommy is the first of The Whos two full-scale rock operas (the second being Quadrophenia), and the first musical work explicitly billed as a rock opera. ...

Can you hear me? Or do I surmise

That you feel me? Can you feel my temper

Rise, rise, rise, rise, rise, rise, rise, rise, rise, rise, rise, rise, rise....

Each repetition of 'rise' is a half-step higher than the last, making this a clear example of word-painting. A half step is either: the interval of a minor second in music, or the half step (dance move) in dance. ...

On occasion, a composer may employ the opposite technique for a humorous effect. In the Broadway musical Once Upon a Mattress, Mary Rodgers has the lead character, Princess Winnifred, belt a brash show tune about her shyness called Shy. For other uses of Broadway, see Broadway. ... Once Upon a Mattress is a critically-acclaimed musical comedy that opened on Broadway on May 11, 1959 and ran for 460 performances. ... Mary Rodgers (born January 11, 1931) is a composer of musicals, an author of childrens books, and daughter of Richard Rodgers. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Belt (music). ...

Sources

• Sadie, Stanley. Word Painting. Carter, Tim. The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Second edition, vol. 27.
• How to Listen to and Understand Great Music, Part 1, Disc 6, Robert Greenberg, San Francisco Conservatory of Music

See also

• mickey mousing