Studying for the Classical/Romantic test

1) You can now access the powerpoints that come with the test. Login to WebCT, click on the Classical or Romantic organizer pages. (Thanks to the person who let me know there was a problem!)

2) Check out the study sheets here on the blog - links are on the right sidebar.

3) Listening - you should have been listening to the CDs and getting them in your head well before now. Well, better to start late than not at all - trust me on this. Listening will come from the Classical and Romantic eras.

Standard answer to "How many questions are there on the test?" still applies.

(Between 1 and 10,000).

Note about Beethoven

Something for today's class: from the Wall Street Journal, Fri 3/8/08 Edition, Page W14:

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Recapturing the Excitement of Beethoven
Mikhail Pletnev Makes the Symphonies Sound New Again
By GREG SANDOW

When Beethoven's symphonies were first performed, there was sometimes wild enthusiasm. "The listeners could scarcely restrain themselves," said an early Beethoven biographer, talking about the premiere of the Ninth Symphony, where the audience burst into applause right in the middle of the music.

And later, when the symphonies began to be played regularly, everybody knew that something special was happening. People in the audience would cry out with "wonderment and joy," as one observer wrote. When "a violin passage [in the Fifth Symphony] ripped down from the highest notes of the orchestra to the lowest . . . the orchestra entered into a community with the public, they exchanged glances."

This of course doesn't happen in our time, when surely there's a Beethoven symphony played somewhere at every hour of every day. And not just because the etiquette of the classical concert hall forbids those wild reactions. We know these pieces now, and they're not likely to surprise us. We're used to them.

And yet . . . isn't something missing? Isn't shock and surprise -- and wild excitement -- built into Beethoven's DNA? In the Fifth Symphony, there's something just about unprecedented, at least for any listener in Beethoven's time. The third movement, dark, uneasy (and full of goblins, as E.M. Forster memorably wrote), can't bring itself to end. It collapses into tense and almost formless expectation, out of which the last movement explodes like a long-awaited burst of light. Nobody had connected movements of a symphony before, and certainly never with such drama. Audiences in the 19th century understood how new this was and would lose control, erupting with spontaneous applause.

..........

Something we'll discuss in class in the future (cool!)

Free tickets to events: The College Town Series

Click HERE for an entry regarding the CollegeTown Voucher - your student activities fees at work!

Studying for the upcoming test - A suggestion

The test will cover the first three eras in teh book: Medieval/Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Baroque.

Outlining the chapter is a good idea. Pay special attention to the musical characteristics of the music of the era, what types of music there were (i.e. Ren. = mass, motet, madrigal) and their definitions, and how musicians made a living.

Another good study aid is the powerpoint presentations stashed on WebCT. Log in, and click the "folder" for the period. You'll see a link to the presentation. Sadly, it works best in Internet Explorer on Windows, but IS functional on the other browsers & platforms.

Yet another resource is the textbook website. There's a link on the syllabus.

If you have questions, shoot me an email, or ask in class. Check webct for my email addresses.

Elements Test Study suggestions (12/11 update)

Music Instrument Production

Antiqua Winds Factory (woodwinds)

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Some suggestions for studying

1. Look at all the elements of music discussed in class and in the text. Make sure you know the definitions.

2. Anything that is bolded or underlined, make sure you know what it is (terms, for example).

3. Instruments - what instrument is in what family of the orchestra. Single reed vs. double reed. Get an idea of the top to bottom order of instruments in a family (i.e. for strings top-to-bottom order is violin - viola - cello - bass). Don't forget that the Voice is an instrument as well!

4. Listening - as you listen, make sure you have an idea of what makes that piece unique. For example, the Chopin piano prelude is (duh) piano by itself. The jazz piece has a unique sound in this set. The Britten piece has that primary melody that is repeated a whole bunch.

5. The listening section is matching (piece #1 is title A). I'll be playing about 60 seconds of each.

6. The textbook table of contents is a great way to get your thoughts organized. So are the in-class powerpoints, available on WebCT

7. The test will come from BOTH the text AND your notes.

2 more ways to study for the test

1. Login to WebCT. Click on the Romantic link - you can go through the powerpoint that was included with the instructor materials. It will help you organize the material (but remember my organization was different).

2. Fire up iTunes. Swing over to the iTunes store, select podcasts. Do a search for "music appreciation". There's a podcast done by Charles Laux, who teaches at a California community college, that is interesting. He's a violin player, and he tells a few stories as well. You can always fast forward through the pieces if you don't want to listen to them - he plays several of teh same pieces we've heard.

See you Wednesday!

Studying for the Romantic test

Listening: 11 selections. You need to be able to ID the piece AND tell whether its a Character piece, Opera, Program symphony, Absolute symphony, Lied/Art song, or Concerto.


Notes:
Lots of definitions, because there were a lot of new genres played around with in this period. Remember, the period didn't reject the music of the previous era, it BUILT on it. (This is different).

See the previous Romantic era notes & study sheet for more details.

Wednesday, in the Library computer room (same one we were in last time).

Question: Would it be useful for me to play the listening TWICE? Give me an opinion, if you have one, Wednesday before we start.

Why Classical Music?

Yes, this is a bit off-topic, but I ran across this article today and wanted to send you a quote from it.

This is from the New Republic, and is discussing all the angst that has erupted lately online about "classical music is dying" - it stems from a thing the Washington Post did in a subway station with Joshua Bell, a world-class violinist. The original article:

http://www.tnr.com/story_print.html?id=f3839c75-3724-4154-adc4-e0638e30448a

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As a team of Texas researchers have recently announced, there are exactly 237 known reasons why people have sex. There are at least as many reasons why they listen to classical music, of which to sit in solemn silence on a dull dark dock is only one. There will always be social reasons as well as purely aesthetic ones, and thank God for that. There will always be people who make money from it--and why not?--as well as those who starve for the love of it. Classical music is not dying; it is changing. (My favorite example right now is Gabriel Prokofiev, the British-born grandson of the Russian composer, who studied electronic music in school, has headed a successful disco-punk band, and is now writing string quartets.) Change can be opposed, and it can be slowed down, but it cannot be stopped.

I stand corrected!

From Wikipedia, regarding the piece by Holtz (The Planets):

The suite has seven movements, each of them named after a planet and its corresponding Roman deity (see also Planets in astrology):

1. Mars, the Bringer of War
2. Venus, the Bringer of Peace
3. Mercury, the Winged Messenger
4. Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity
5. Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age
6. Uranus, the Magician
7. Neptune, the Mystic

Another tidbit:
"Neptune" was the first piece of music to have a fade-out ending. Holst stipulates that the women's choruses are "to be placed in an adjoining room, the door of which is to be left open until the last bar of the piece, when it is to be slowly and silently closed", and that the final bar (scored for choruses alone) is "to be repeated until the sound is lost in the distance"^[10].

Although commonplace today, the effect bewitched audiences in the era before widespread recorded sound - after the initial 1918 run-through, Holst's daughter Imogen (in addition to watching the charwomen dancing in the aisles during "Jupiter") remarked that the ending was "unforgettable, with its hidden chorus of women's voices growing fainter and fainter... until the imagination knew no difference between sound and silence"^[5].

Well, maybe I **sit** corrected.

Have a good week. See you Wednesday!

Re: Comment from "some random person dude"

I love the pseudonym - made me laugh!

Yes, you need to have a handle on each movement separately. Remember, though, that the symphonies follow that sonata cycle pattern - that should make it easier.

Bonus info for those of you who keep tabs on the blog:


Some of the listening examples will have the period identified for you (i.e. "listening #1 is from the Renaissance"). Some will not.

Study tips for test

I didn't think to mention this in class today - Log into WebCT. Click on a link relating to a period (Renaissance, Baroque, Classical). There you can go through the powerpoint that is directly tied to the text. It'll help you organize the material & see what points are important.

Don't forget to check out the links to the area-specific study ideas on the right sidebar of the blog.


I had somebody ask me which pieces were what era on the CD. I could be mean and make you look it up, but I didn't wear my mean professor socks today, so here's an idea:

Renaissance:
CD 1:
Tracks 56, 59, 62
Josquin, Palestrina, Weelkes

Baroque:
First one is Bach CD 1 track 63
Last piece is Handel CD 2 track 17

Classical:
First one is Mozart CD 2 track 23
Last one is Beethoven CD 2 track 63 (on back cover).
There are a couple of Classical era pieces on CD 3 as well - they are listed on the inside FRONT cover, there at the bottom.

Study Sheets updated

I just updated the study sheets on the blog for the 3 eras that will be on the test: Renaissance, Baroque, Classical

Surf to the blog and click on the links on the right sidebar: Renaissance, Baroque, Classical. DO NOT select the one marked Ren/Bar/Class - it's old, but I'm keeping it there to repurpose it later.


There WILL be more listening on this test than the last one. I will be asking you to identify what piece it is, AND which era its from. Remember that each era sounds completely different, so it shouldn't be too difficult.

Baroque Study Sheet (2/08 update)

This is more of an outline of major points than a real detailed list.... so there are probably some things in the text that aren't mentioned here.

Dates: 1600-1720
Elements of Baroque music: unity of mood, constant rhythm, characteristics of melodies, terraced dynamics, , predominant texture, continuo/figured bass.

Orchestra makeup. Instrumental becomes more important in later part - opera invented and vocal predominant in first half of era.
Place of music in society. How musicians could make a living.

Types of pieces:
opera - choral - cantata - oratorio - concerto (solo concerto vs. concerto grosso) - fugue - sonata - Suite (aka Dance Suite)

A-list composers:
JS Bach - Handel

Notes for Mon 10/1

Apologies for the late notice about class being cancelled. I came in this morning to teach a piano lesson - and was about brought to my knees by my shoulder. I headed home to redose, but apparently my body is telling me to shut down for a day or else..... and I really don't want to know what "or else" means!
Couple of housekeeping things first:
The recital that was supposed to be tonight has been moved to Thursday night. I changed to previous post about it to reflect the new reality - check it for details.

Whoever was supposed to present today - can you do it Wednesday? We'll double up.

Baroque:

Today was supposed to be Baroque instrumental day - and I'm here without my text (so I'm working off my admittedly faulty memory!)

Remember at the beginning of the semester when I said the majority of the learning was going to take place outside the classroom?

Things to check out:
Place of composer in society - how'd they make a living?
2 A-level composers: Bach, Handel
A few B-level composers covered: Vivaldi, Corelli, etc.

Types of instrumental pieces (these all have separate chapters):
Fugue - a fugue always begins with the subject by itself (i.e. MONOPHONIC texture), and then adds in additional voices (all of which ALSO begin with the subject) - i.e. it bocomes POLYPHONIC. After everybody is in, then we get "stuff" - still polyphonic. Eventually, the subject comes back in - could be in one voice, could be in all. The piece alternates subject and "stuff" until it's time to quit. (The book uses other terminology - more official.)

Concerto - piece for solo (solo concerto) or small group (concerto grosso) and orchestra. Vivaldi's 4 seasons is an example - you have a couple of tracks on your CDs. You also have a solo concerto by Corelli - but I may be mistaken there.

Sonata - in the Baroque, it's a piece for a soloist OR a small ensemble. It is generally a multi-movement work. (The definition changes a bit during the Classical era).

There is a 4th genre - but I can't bring it to mind at the moment.

Composers also wrote "Sinfonia"s - which were pieces that served as a prelude to an opera. They generally included themes (melodies) from the opera itself (similar to what you hear at the beginning of a modern American musical).

Remember that vocal was the big thing at the beginning of the Baroque - but by the end instrumental was king.

In the "Hello" category:
I found a youtube video of the aria "Dido's Lament" we listened to. Check it out here, and let me know if it's better to LISTEN to an opera, or SEE it.

Here is a company in Germany (I think) that has done a version of Monterverdi's Orfeo. Does this match your conception of opera?

Concert Report idea

One of your fellow classmates sent this in, and I though it was good thing to use as an outline when writing your concert reports. I do still want them as essay format (i.e. paragraphs and such), but these questions are a great way to organize your thoughts.

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1) Date of concert:
2) Name of location (theatre, city):
3) Name or performer(s):
4) Classifiation of music ensemble (Soloist, Quartet, Symphony, Bluegrass Band):
5) What style of music was performed (Classical, Romantic, Baroque, 20th century....)
6) What instruments, if any, were used in the performance?
7) How long was the performance. When did it begin?
8) How did the performers visually present themselves (costumes, sitting, standing
moving across the stage or stationary)?
9) I liked the concert because (describe):
10) I disliked the concert because (describe):
11) My favorite part of the concert was (explain):
12) Name two musical things you learned from viewing the performance that you
can apply to your own performance skills (explain):

WebCT news

You may remember that we're going to be using WebCT for testing. The first test will hit in 2 weeks (on 9/12). I'll announce in class exactly what the test will cover.

PLEASE login to WebCT and nose around this week. You should be able to join (if you already aren't in it) my Music Apprec section.\

I have added a direct link to Macon State's WebCT on the righthand navbar.

I will also be adding a powerpoint presentation for the textbook section 1 that will help you study.

Writing a Concert Report

HERE is an online version of the "How to Write a Concert Report" document I was mentioning in class that is on the CD-ROM (which we don't have).

It is VERY useful - read it before you head off to a concert.

Remember, you need to do TWO reports this semester. Due date: Last day of class. I will NOT accept any late ones, and you'll be happier if you get them done early.

Why? Because everyone is way overloaded starting about the first of October.

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A former student sent this to me a few years ago. I though it was good thing to use as an outline when writing your concert reports. I do still want them as essay format (i.e. paragraphs and such), but these questions are a great way to organize your thoughts.

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1) Date of concert:
2) Name of location (theatre, city):
3) Name or performer(s):
4) Classifiation of music ensemble (Soloist, Quartet, Symphony, Bluegrass Band):
5) What style of music was performed (Classical, Romantic, Baroque, 20th century....)
6) What instruments, if any, were used in the performance?
7) How long was the performance. When did it begin?
8) How did the performers visually present themselves (costumes, sitting, standing
moving across the stage or stationary)?
9) I liked the concert because (describe):
10) I disliked the concert because (describe):
11) My favorite part of the concert was (explain):
12) Name two musical things you learned from viewing the performance that you
can apply to your own performance skills (explain):

In-Class presentation grading example

Since I was printing one to be xeroxed, I thought I'd post a version of the form that you'll be using to grade your classmates' in-class presentations:


What you'll do is circle the grade in each category, as they do the presentation. (Now, you can stop worrying about it, in case you were!)

3 2 1 0

Music played X X X X

Source Identified X X X X

Form discussed X X X X

Instrumentation covered X X X X

Interesting tidbits X X X X

Writer/Performer info X X X X

Interesting? X X X X

Pachelbel's canon

Notice how many of the styles that he lampoons all have the same exact chord progression.

Funny, and well done.

Thanks, Stevie - I really enjoyed this.

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