Tools
Composition/Description
Returns a description of a classical music composition.
Syntax
| composition/description? | compositionid=compositionid amgclassicalid=amgclassicalid |
&apikey=apikey&sig=sig [&format=format] [&country=country] [&language=language] |
Request Example 1
- Request the description of the composition Also sprach Zarathustra.
http://api.rovicorp.com/data/v1/composition/description?apikey=apikey&sig=sig&
compositionid=MC0002369165
compositionid=MC0002369165
Request Example 2
- Request the response in XML format.
http://api.rovicorp.com/data/v1/composition/description?apikey=apikey&sig=sig&
compositionid=MC0002369165&format=xml
compositionid=MC0002369165&format=xml
Request Parameters
Click to re-sort
| Parameter | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| apikey | Yes | Access code that authorizes your request for data from Rovi. |
| sig | Yes | A calculated authorization code. To perform the calculation, execute the MD5 function on the concatenation of the following three strings:
Perform the calculation at the time of each request to be sure it's within a five-minute window of the server time. If you're testing the call in a browser, use our online signature generator to perform the calculation. |
| amgclassicalid | Conditional | All Media Guide (AMG) ID for a classical music composition, consisting of a ten-character string that starts with C and is followed by nine digits with leading spaces. For example: C 43235. When using an AMG Classical ID in a request, replace any spaces in the ID with plus (+) or percent20 (%20) symbols, like this: C++++43235. AMG is a legacy database of entertainment information. Condition: The request must contain just one of these parameters:
|
| compositionid | Conditional | Rovi Music ID for a classical music composition, consisting of the prefix MC followed by a ten-digit number. For example: MC0002369165. Your application can grab composition IDs from responses to the following requests:
Condition: The request must contain just one of these parameters:
|
| country | No | Country of the language of the response. The current release of the API supports only US. |
| format | No | Format of the returned data: json or xml. The default is JSON. |
| language | No | Language of the response data. This request supports only en (English). |
Response
Response Header
| Response | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| build | String | The software release level of the API. |
| code | Integer | HTTP status code. See the status field for the text part of the code. |
| duration | Integer | Server processing time in milliseconds. The difference between startTime and endTime. |
| endTime | String | When the server sent the response (UTC time). |
| messages | Message [ ] | Elements of a multiple HTTP response status message. |
| parameters | parameters | List of the parameters included in the request. |
| parentIds | parentIds | All of the IDs for the requested object that are recognized by the API. |
| serverName | String | Name of the server that processed the request. |
| startTime | String | When the server received the request (UTC time). |
| status | String | Text part of the HTTP status code that is shown in the code field. |
Response for Composition/Description
| Response | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| author | String | Author of the description. |
| text | String | The full text of the description. |
JSON Response Example
- Here's the response to Request Example 1. It is formatted with extra spaces and carriage returns to make it easy to read.
{
"status":"ok",
"code":200,
"messages":null,
"build":"1.5.1.9",
"parameters":{
"apiKey":"apikey",
"id":"MC0002369165"
},
"serverName":"tul1cssw3",
"startTime":"2011-04-27T23:24:46.7830436Z",
"endTime":"2011-04-27T23:24:46.8455448Z",
"duration":62,
"parentIds":{
"amgClassicalId":"C 43235",
"compositionId":"MC0002369165"
},
"description":{
"text":"Like many of his contemporaries, the young [roviLink=\"MN0000307408\"]Richard Strauss[\/roviLink] was enthralled with [roviLink=\"MN0000958980\"]Wagner[\/roviLink]; indeed, a number of his compositions, especially the early [roviLink=\"MA\"]opera[\/roviLink] [roviLink=\"MC\"]Guntram[\/roviLink] (1887-1893), reveal an intent on [roviLink=\"MN\"]Strauss[\/roviLink]' part to re-create the spirit of the older composer's works. However, as evidenced by his adoption of [roviLink=\"MN0001731235\"]Friedrich Nietzsche[\/roviLink]'s [roviLink=\"BW\"]Also sprach Zarathustra[\/roviLink] as the subject of a [roviLink=\"MA\"]tone poem[\/roviLink], [roviLink=\"MN\"]Strauss[\/roviLink]' music soon took on a distinct identity. By this time, [roviLink=\"MN0001731235\"]Nietzsche[\/roviLink], though a former Wagner devotee, had become the most vocal and articulate critic of [roviLink=\"MN0000958980\"]Wagner[\/roviLink]'s philosophy and art. By aligning his artistic vision with that of [roviLink=\"MN0001731235\"]Nietzsche[\/roviLink], [roviLink=\"MN\"]Strauss[\/roviLink] forever removed himself from the camp of \"true\" Wagnerians.\u000d\u000a[roviLink=\"MC\"]Also sprach Zarathustra[\/roviLink] (Thus Spoke Zarathustra), one of the high points of [roviLink=\"MN\"]Strauss[\/roviLink]' early career, was completed in the summer of 1896 and premiered in November of the same year. Sandwiched between [roviLink=\"MC\"]Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche[\/roviLink] (1894-1895) and [roviLink=\"MC\"]Don Quixote[\/roviLink] (1896-1897), it was among the works that forever solidified the composer's reputation and distilled the essence of his singular orchestral language.\u000d\u000a[roviLink=\"MC\"]Also sprach Zarathustra[\/roviLink] has nine sections. The introduction -- which has gained a peculiar immortality from its prominent use in Stanley Kubrick's film [roviLink=\"VW\"]2001: A Space Odyssey[\/roviLink] -- is followed by these distinctive episodes, each of which explores an element of [roviLink=\"MN0001731235\"]Nietzsche[\/roviLink]'s text, from \"Von den Hinterweltlern\" (From the Back-world People) to an expression of intense yearning (\"Von der großen Sehnsucht\") and a portrayal of joy and passion (Von den Freuden und Leidenschaften). At the center of the work is \"Das Grablied\" (Song of the Grave), which sets the stage for the clever and ironic \"Von der Wissenschaft,\" in which a truncated [roviLink=\"MA\"]fugue[\/roviLink] gently pokes fun at science by -- perhaps prophetically -- including all twelve [roviLink=\"MA\"]chromatic[\/roviLink] pitches in its [roviLink=\"MA\"]subject[\/roviLink]. \"Der Genesende\" (The Convalescent) slowly regains its strength, bursting forth into the energetic \"Das Tanzlied\" (Dance-Song), led by a solo fiddle. \u000d\u000aThe final section, \"Nachtwandlerlied\" (Song of the Night Wanderer), makes subtle use of tonal and thematic cues (most notably, a return to the tonality of the opening section) to suggest that the journey of the unnamed Night Wanderer is cyclic -- eternally returning to its beginning. This lack of resolution is mirrored in the lingering dissonance, the half step between B and C, which ends the work, capturing the questioning and unsettling nature of [roviLink=\"MN0001731235\"]Nietzsche[\/roviLink]'s own conclusion.\u000d\u000aThe whole of [roviLink=\"MC\"]Also sprach Zarathustra[\/roviLink] is [roviLink=\"MA\"]through-composed[\/roviLink]; though some suggest that it contains aspects of both [roviLink=\"MA\"]sonata[\/roviLink] and [roviLink=\"MA\"]rondo[\/roviLink] forms, no structural analysis is sustainable without reference to [roviLink=\"MN0001731235\"]Nietzsche[\/roviLink]'s text. Like most of [roviLink=\"MN\"]Strauss[\/roviLink]' tone poems, [roviLink=\"MC\"]Also sprach Zarathustra[\/roviLink] employs massive instrumental forces; however, it provides a contrast to [roviLink=\"MN\"]Strauss[\/roviLink]' more strongly narrative works in its deployment of the orchestra in a more subtle and deft manner. Here, short, transformable [roviLink=\"MA\"]motives[\/roviLink] take the place of the long, sinuous tunes that emerge in works like [roviLink=\"MC\"]Ein Heldenleben[\/roviLink] (1898). The relative concision of its musical material suggests the composer's attempt to mirror the nature and character of his literary source.",
"author":"All Music Guide"
}
}
"status":"ok",
"code":200,
"messages":null,
"build":"1.5.1.9",
"parameters":{
"apiKey":"apikey",
"id":"MC0002369165"
},
"serverName":"tul1cssw3",
"startTime":"2011-04-27T23:24:46.7830436Z",
"endTime":"2011-04-27T23:24:46.8455448Z",
"duration":62,
"parentIds":{
"amgClassicalId":"C 43235",
"compositionId":"MC0002369165"
},
"description":{
"text":"Like many of his contemporaries, the young [roviLink=\"MN0000307408\"]Richard Strauss[\/roviLink] was enthralled with [roviLink=\"MN0000958980\"]Wagner[\/roviLink]; indeed, a number of his compositions, especially the early [roviLink=\"MA\"]opera[\/roviLink] [roviLink=\"MC\"]Guntram[\/roviLink] (1887-1893), reveal an intent on [roviLink=\"MN\"]Strauss[\/roviLink]' part to re-create the spirit of the older composer's works. However, as evidenced by his adoption of [roviLink=\"MN0001731235\"]Friedrich Nietzsche[\/roviLink]'s [roviLink=\"BW\"]Also sprach Zarathustra[\/roviLink] as the subject of a [roviLink=\"MA\"]tone poem[\/roviLink], [roviLink=\"MN\"]Strauss[\/roviLink]' music soon took on a distinct identity. By this time, [roviLink=\"MN0001731235\"]Nietzsche[\/roviLink], though a former Wagner devotee, had become the most vocal and articulate critic of [roviLink=\"MN0000958980\"]Wagner[\/roviLink]'s philosophy and art. By aligning his artistic vision with that of [roviLink=\"MN0001731235\"]Nietzsche[\/roviLink], [roviLink=\"MN\"]Strauss[\/roviLink] forever removed himself from the camp of \"true\" Wagnerians.\u000d\u000a[roviLink=\"MC\"]Also sprach Zarathustra[\/roviLink] (Thus Spoke Zarathustra), one of the high points of [roviLink=\"MN\"]Strauss[\/roviLink]' early career, was completed in the summer of 1896 and premiered in November of the same year. Sandwiched between [roviLink=\"MC\"]Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche[\/roviLink] (1894-1895) and [roviLink=\"MC\"]Don Quixote[\/roviLink] (1896-1897), it was among the works that forever solidified the composer's reputation and distilled the essence of his singular orchestral language.\u000d\u000a[roviLink=\"MC\"]Also sprach Zarathustra[\/roviLink] has nine sections. The introduction -- which has gained a peculiar immortality from its prominent use in Stanley Kubrick's film [roviLink=\"VW\"]2001: A Space Odyssey[\/roviLink] -- is followed by these distinctive episodes, each of which explores an element of [roviLink=\"MN0001731235\"]Nietzsche[\/roviLink]'s text, from \"Von den Hinterweltlern\" (From the Back-world People) to an expression of intense yearning (\"Von der großen Sehnsucht\") and a portrayal of joy and passion (Von den Freuden und Leidenschaften). At the center of the work is \"Das Grablied\" (Song of the Grave), which sets the stage for the clever and ironic \"Von der Wissenschaft,\" in which a truncated [roviLink=\"MA\"]fugue[\/roviLink] gently pokes fun at science by -- perhaps prophetically -- including all twelve [roviLink=\"MA\"]chromatic[\/roviLink] pitches in its [roviLink=\"MA\"]subject[\/roviLink]. \"Der Genesende\" (The Convalescent) slowly regains its strength, bursting forth into the energetic \"Das Tanzlied\" (Dance-Song), led by a solo fiddle. \u000d\u000aThe final section, \"Nachtwandlerlied\" (Song of the Night Wanderer), makes subtle use of tonal and thematic cues (most notably, a return to the tonality of the opening section) to suggest that the journey of the unnamed Night Wanderer is cyclic -- eternally returning to its beginning. This lack of resolution is mirrored in the lingering dissonance, the half step between B and C, which ends the work, capturing the questioning and unsettling nature of [roviLink=\"MN0001731235\"]Nietzsche[\/roviLink]'s own conclusion.\u000d\u000aThe whole of [roviLink=\"MC\"]Also sprach Zarathustra[\/roviLink] is [roviLink=\"MA\"]through-composed[\/roviLink]; though some suggest that it contains aspects of both [roviLink=\"MA\"]sonata[\/roviLink] and [roviLink=\"MA\"]rondo[\/roviLink] forms, no structural analysis is sustainable without reference to [roviLink=\"MN0001731235\"]Nietzsche[\/roviLink]'s text. Like most of [roviLink=\"MN\"]Strauss[\/roviLink]' tone poems, [roviLink=\"MC\"]Also sprach Zarathustra[\/roviLink] employs massive instrumental forces; however, it provides a contrast to [roviLink=\"MN\"]Strauss[\/roviLink]' more strongly narrative works in its deployment of the orchestra in a more subtle and deft manner. Here, short, transformable [roviLink=\"MA\"]motives[\/roviLink] take the place of the long, sinuous tunes that emerge in works like [roviLink=\"MC\"]Ein Heldenleben[\/roviLink] (1898). The relative concision of its musical material suggests the composer's attempt to mirror the nature and character of his literary source.",
"author":"All Music Guide"
}
}
XML Response Example
- Here's the response to Request Example 2.
<CompositionDescriptionDetail xmlns="com.rovicorp.metadataservice" xmlns:i="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<status>ok</status>
<code>200</code>
<messages i:nil="true"/>
<build>1.5.1.9</build>
<parameters>
<apiKey>apikey</apiKey>
<id>MC0002369165</id>
<format>xml</format>
</parameters>
<serverName>tul1cssw4</serverName>
<startTime>2011-04-27T23:25:01.1927504Z</startTime>
<endTime>2011-04-27T23:25:01.2083755Z</endTime>
<duration>15</duration>
<parentIds>
<amgClassicalId>C 43235</amgClassicalId>
<compositionId>MC0002369165</compositionId>
</parentIds>
<description>
<text>Like many of his contemporaries, the young [roviLink="MN0000307408"]Richard Strauss[/roviLink] was enthralled with [roviLink="MN0000958980"]Wagner[/roviLink]; indeed, a number of his compositions, especially the early [roviLink="MA"]opera[/roviLink] [roviLink="MC"]Guntram[/roviLink] (1887-1893), reveal an intent on [roviLink="MN"]Strauss[/roviLink]' part to re-create the spirit of the older composer's works. However, as evidenced by his adoption of [roviLink="MN0001731235"]Friedrich Nietzsche[/roviLink]'s [roviLink="BW"]Also sprach Zarathustra[/roviLink] as the subject of a [roviLink="MA"]tone poem[/roviLink], [roviLink="MN"]Strauss[/roviLink]' music soon took on a distinct identity. By this time, [roviLink="MN0001731235"]Nietzsche[/roviLink], though a former Wagner devotee, had become the most vocal and articulate critic of [roviLink="MN0000958980"]Wagner[/roviLink]'s philosophy and art. By aligning his artistic vision with that of [roviLink="MN0001731235"]Nietzsche[/roviLink], [roviLink="MN"]Strauss[/roviLink] forever removed himself from the camp of "true" Wagnerians. [roviLink="MC"]Also sprach Zarathustra[/roviLink] (Thus Spoke Zarathustra), one of the high points of [roviLink="MN"]Strauss[/roviLink]' early career, was completed in the summer of 1896 and premiered in November of the same year. Sandwiched between [roviLink="MC"]Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche[/roviLink] (1894-1895) and [roviLink="MC"]Don Quixote[/roviLink] (1896-1897), it was among the works that forever solidified the composer's reputation and distilled the essence of his singular orchestral language. [roviLink="MC"]Also sprach Zarathustra[/roviLink] has nine sections. The introduction -- which has gained a peculiar immortality from its prominent use in Stanley Kubrick's film [roviLink="VW"]2001: A Space Odyssey[/roviLink] -- is followed by these distinctive episodes, each of which explores an element of [roviLink="MN0001731235"]Nietzsche[/roviLink]'s text, from "Von den Hinterweltlern" (From the Back-world People) to an expression of intense yearning ("Von der großen Sehnsucht") and a portrayal of joy and passion (Von den Freuden und Leidenschaften). At the center of the work is "Das Grablied" (Song of the Grave), which sets the stage for the clever and ironic "Von der Wissenschaft," in which a truncated [roviLink="MA"]fugue[/roviLink] gently pokes fun at science by -- perhaps prophetically -- including all twelve [roviLink="MA"]chromatic[/roviLink] pitches in its [roviLink="MA"]subject[/roviLink]. "Der Genesende" (The Convalescent) slowly regains its strength, bursting forth into the energetic "Das Tanzlied" (Dance-Song), led by a solo fiddle. The final section, "Nachtwandlerlied" (Song of the Night Wanderer), makes subtle use of tonal and thematic cues (most notably, a return to the tonality of the opening section) to suggest that the journey of the unnamed Night Wanderer is cyclic -- eternally returning to its beginning. This lack of resolution is mirrored in the lingering dissonance, the half step between B and C, which ends the work, capturing the questioning and unsettling nature of [roviLink="MN0001731235"]Nietzsche[/roviLink]'s own conclusion. The whole of [roviLink="MC"]Also sprach Zarathustra[/roviLink] is [roviLink="MA"]through-composed[/roviLink]; though some suggest that it contains aspects of both [roviLink="MA"]sonata[/roviLink] and [roviLink="MA"]rondo[/roviLink] forms, no structural analysis is sustainable without reference to [roviLink="MN0001731235"]Nietzsche[/roviLink]'s text. Like most of [roviLink="MN"]Strauss[/roviLink]' tone poems, [roviLink="MC"]Also sprach Zarathustra[/roviLink] employs massive instrumental forces; however, it provides a contrast to [roviLink="MN"]Strauss[/roviLink]' more strongly narrative works in its deployment of the orchestra in a more subtle and deft manner. Here, short, transformable [roviLink="MA"]motives[/roviLink] take the place of the long, sinuous tunes that emerge in works like [roviLink="MC"]Ein Heldenleben[/roviLink] (1898). The relative concision of its musical material suggests the composer's attempt to mirror the nature and character of his literary source.</text>
<author>All Music Guide</author>
</description>
</CompositionDescriptionDetail>
<status>ok</status>
<code>200</code>
<messages i:nil="true"/>
<build>1.5.1.9</build>
<parameters>
<apiKey>apikey</apiKey>
<id>MC0002369165</id>
<format>xml</format>
</parameters>
<serverName>tul1cssw4</serverName>
<startTime>2011-04-27T23:25:01.1927504Z</startTime>
<endTime>2011-04-27T23:25:01.2083755Z</endTime>
<duration>15</duration>
<parentIds>
<amgClassicalId>C 43235</amgClassicalId>
<compositionId>MC0002369165</compositionId>
</parentIds>
<description>
<text>Like many of his contemporaries, the young [roviLink="MN0000307408"]Richard Strauss[/roviLink] was enthralled with [roviLink="MN0000958980"]Wagner[/roviLink]; indeed, a number of his compositions, especially the early [roviLink="MA"]opera[/roviLink] [roviLink="MC"]Guntram[/roviLink] (1887-1893), reveal an intent on [roviLink="MN"]Strauss[/roviLink]' part to re-create the spirit of the older composer's works. However, as evidenced by his adoption of [roviLink="MN0001731235"]Friedrich Nietzsche[/roviLink]'s [roviLink="BW"]Also sprach Zarathustra[/roviLink] as the subject of a [roviLink="MA"]tone poem[/roviLink], [roviLink="MN"]Strauss[/roviLink]' music soon took on a distinct identity. By this time, [roviLink="MN0001731235"]Nietzsche[/roviLink], though a former Wagner devotee, had become the most vocal and articulate critic of [roviLink="MN0000958980"]Wagner[/roviLink]'s philosophy and art. By aligning his artistic vision with that of [roviLink="MN0001731235"]Nietzsche[/roviLink], [roviLink="MN"]Strauss[/roviLink] forever removed himself from the camp of "true" Wagnerians. [roviLink="MC"]Also sprach Zarathustra[/roviLink] (Thus Spoke Zarathustra), one of the high points of [roviLink="MN"]Strauss[/roviLink]' early career, was completed in the summer of 1896 and premiered in November of the same year. Sandwiched between [roviLink="MC"]Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche[/roviLink] (1894-1895) and [roviLink="MC"]Don Quixote[/roviLink] (1896-1897), it was among the works that forever solidified the composer's reputation and distilled the essence of his singular orchestral language. [roviLink="MC"]Also sprach Zarathustra[/roviLink] has nine sections. The introduction -- which has gained a peculiar immortality from its prominent use in Stanley Kubrick's film [roviLink="VW"]2001: A Space Odyssey[/roviLink] -- is followed by these distinctive episodes, each of which explores an element of [roviLink="MN0001731235"]Nietzsche[/roviLink]'s text, from "Von den Hinterweltlern" (From the Back-world People) to an expression of intense yearning ("Von der großen Sehnsucht") and a portrayal of joy and passion (Von den Freuden und Leidenschaften). At the center of the work is "Das Grablied" (Song of the Grave), which sets the stage for the clever and ironic "Von der Wissenschaft," in which a truncated [roviLink="MA"]fugue[/roviLink] gently pokes fun at science by -- perhaps prophetically -- including all twelve [roviLink="MA"]chromatic[/roviLink] pitches in its [roviLink="MA"]subject[/roviLink]. "Der Genesende" (The Convalescent) slowly regains its strength, bursting forth into the energetic "Das Tanzlied" (Dance-Song), led by a solo fiddle. The final section, "Nachtwandlerlied" (Song of the Night Wanderer), makes subtle use of tonal and thematic cues (most notably, a return to the tonality of the opening section) to suggest that the journey of the unnamed Night Wanderer is cyclic -- eternally returning to its beginning. This lack of resolution is mirrored in the lingering dissonance, the half step between B and C, which ends the work, capturing the questioning and unsettling nature of [roviLink="MN0001731235"]Nietzsche[/roviLink]'s own conclusion. The whole of [roviLink="MC"]Also sprach Zarathustra[/roviLink] is [roviLink="MA"]through-composed[/roviLink]; though some suggest that it contains aspects of both [roviLink="MA"]sonata[/roviLink] and [roviLink="MA"]rondo[/roviLink] forms, no structural analysis is sustainable without reference to [roviLink="MN0001731235"]Nietzsche[/roviLink]'s text. Like most of [roviLink="MN"]Strauss[/roviLink]' tone poems, [roviLink="MC"]Also sprach Zarathustra[/roviLink] employs massive instrumental forces; however, it provides a contrast to [roviLink="MN"]Strauss[/roviLink]' more strongly narrative works in its deployment of the orchestra in a more subtle and deft manner. Here, short, transformable [roviLink="MA"]motives[/roviLink] take the place of the long, sinuous tunes that emerge in works like [roviLink="MC"]Ein Heldenleben[/roviLink] (1898). The relative concision of its musical material suggests the composer's attempt to mirror the nature and character of his literary source.</text>
<author>All Music Guide</author>
</description>
</CompositionDescriptionDetail>