Comparison

Bossa Nova and Aaron Copland are a lot similar than what it seems from the naked ear in terms of looking at both musical entities from a very simplistic view. However surprisingly it’s noticeable that Copland and Bossa Nova music implement similar tonalities in that many pieces are in major keys. By using major keys there’s a sense of light-heartedness and joy rather than the somber tones/melancholy like tones of minor key signatures. Because Copland also had personal backgrounds with Latin culture which is noted that there are influences in chord structures creating harmonic sounds in relation to their respective keys. The sample pieces (Salon de Mexico & Chega De Saudade) are surprisingly both in the key of G in that both pieces begin in that notation.

            When actually listening to the pieces in both samples there lies an overlying tone of happiness rather than anything that remotely has a dreadful sound. Although the main difference lies within the elements in the weave mentioned earlier, which include dynamics, placing a role in, how the listener perceives both pieces. Copland throughout “Salon de Mexico” plays with dynamics such as forte, piano, pianissimo, and even fortissimo in various measures of the piece. Meanwhile in the Bossa Nova sample by Joao Gilberto (Famous Bossa Nova Musician) sticks with the piano dynamic. Finally it can be said that Copland uses a varied structure with a play on the ABA format in conjunction with adding extra elements such as a bridge (C to the ABA structure). All while Joao Gilberto sticks with the main verse primarily while making no intention to really create a variation in the piece, as Bossa Nova music is this way. Those two prime aspects in the weave that makes up the entity of tonality causes these differences between the two musical embodiments.