See attached for info

You may find the listening this week a bit of a challenge to your ear……..some of the selections, anyway.  So, we are going to challenge your ears and your ability to find the value in any piece of music! 

You are still working with 6 selections here, one pair must include either the Varese, Glass or Cage piece.  Think about the style of these works and make an argument for their value and the characteristics of 20th century music.  Think about when they were written.  Do you think there is direct link to perhaps architecture or visual art of the time?

Then choose 4 more selections from the week’s listening assignments and make your contrast or comparison. You will have 3 pairs again, with one pair including one of the composers listed above.  If it helps to watch a video on youtube, please do.  Sometimes the visual will help. 

Make sure you correctly write the titles.  These should be treated like a book title.  Capitalize, etc. as expected.  Your log should be one typed page using Times 12pt. font and single-spaced. You will want to give the composer name and era (Baroque, Classical, Rock, etc.) based on what we are studying for the week.  You will need to include at least one interesting fact you learned along the way about this piece of music…even if that is something you read about in regard to the composer or some major historical event, etc.  This is your choice.  You should discuss some of the instruments used and this may be one way to make a contrast/comparison between works as well.  Here are other ideas:  Tempo of the choices?  Instruments vs. Voice?  Male vs. Female? Consonant/Dissonant?  Describe the music and its effect on you using Aaron Copland’s three planes of music listening (sensuous, expressive, purely musical elements).  These are all ideas you may use.  I should not just read a description of the music…….you MUST compare and/or contrast the work(s) against each other in some way.

· DEBUSSY: PRELUDE

· Download audio file: 

07_01_Debussy_Prelude_a_l’apres-midi.mp3

·

DEBUSSY: PRELUDES FOR PIANO

· Download audio file: 

07_02_Debussy_Preludes_Book1.mp3

·

RAVEL: BOLERO

· Download audio file: 

07_03_Ravel_Bolero.mp3

·

STRAVINSKY: LA SACRE DU PRINTEMPS

· Download audio file: 

07_04_Stravinsky_Printemps_Introduction.mp3

·

STRAVINSKY: LA SACRE PT II, SACRIFICIAL DANCE

· Download audio file: 

07_05_Stravinsky_Printemps_Sacrificial_Dance.mp3

·

STRAVINSKY: SYMPHONY OF PSALMS

· Download audio file: 

07_06_Stravinsky_Psalms.mp3

·

SCHOENBERG: MONDESTRUCKEN

· Download audio file: 

07_07_Schoenberg_Pierrot_lunaire.mp3

·

BERG: WOZZECK, ACT III

· Download audio file: 

2-105 Berg_ Wozzeck, Act III, Scenes 4 and 5.mp3

·

WEBERN: FIVE PIECES FOR ORCHESTRA

· Download audio file: 

2-106 Webern_ Five Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 10, 3 Very slow and extremely calm.mp3

·

BARTOK: CONCERTO FOR ORCHESTRA I

· Download audio file: 

2-107 Bartok_ Concerto for Orchestra, I.mp3

·

BARTOK: CONCERTO FOR ORCHESTRA II

· Download audio file: 

2-108 Bartok Concerto for Orchestra, II.mp3

·

SHOSTAKOVICH, SYMPHONY NO 5

· Download audio file: 

2-109 Shostakovich Symphony No. 5, II.mp3

·

BEACH: THE YEAR’S AT THE SPRING

· Download audio file: 

1-110 Beach_ The Year’s at the Spring, Op. 44, No. 1.mp3

·

IVES: PUTNAM’S CAMP

· Download audio file: 

2-111 Ives_ Three Places in New England, Putnam’s Camp, Redding, Connecticut.mp3

·

GERSHWIN: RHAPSODY IN BLUE

· Download audio file: 

2-112 Gershwin Rhapsody In Blue.mp3

·

STILL: AFRO AMERICAN SYMPHONY

· Download audio file: 

78 Afro-American Symphony, III.mp3

·

COPLAND: APPALACHIAN SPRING

· Download audio file: 

79 Appalachian Spring.mp3

·

GINASTERA: ESTANCIA SUITE

· Download audio file: 

2-115 Ginastera_ Estancia Suite, Op. 8, Final Dance_ Malambo.mp3

·

CAGE: SONATAS AND INTERLUDES

· Download audio file: 

2-116 Cage_ Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano, Sonata No. 2.mp3

·

VARESE: ELECTRONIC POEM

· Download audio file: 

2-117 Varese_ Poeme electronique.mp3

·

CRUMB: ANCIENT VOICES OF CHILDREN

· Download audio file: 

2-118 Crumb_ Ancient Voices of Children, _From Where Do You Come, My Love, My Child__.mp3

·

PIAZZOLLA: LIBERTANGO

· Download audio file: 

119 Piazzolla_ Libertango.mp3

·

GLASS: KNEE PLAY I

· Download audio file: 

2-120 Glass_ Einstein on the Beach, Knee Play 1.mp3

·

ZWILICH: CONCERTO GROSSO

· Download audio file: 

2-121 Zwilich_ Concerto Grosso 1985, I.mp3

·

ADAMS: SHORT RIDE IN A FAST MACHINE

· Download audio file: 

2-122 Adams_ A Short Ride in a Fast Machine.mp3

·

WHITACRE: LUX ARUMUQUE

· Download audio file: 

1-123 Whitacre_ Lux aurumque (Light of Gold).mp3

For my first pairing I wanted to compare works of the same composer.

I chose BEETHOVEN: String Quartet in C Minor IV and BEETHOVEN: Symphony No 5 in C Minor, III. Not only did I want to use the same composer, I also wanted to use the same scale. The exciting rondo movement from Beethoven’s String Quartet in C Minor, Op. 18, No. 4, may be outlined A B A C A B A (Kamien, p. 204). What that means is that, this piece has three main themes, A, B and C. The themes A and B are repeated with C in the middle. This selection gets right off to a fast pace start. I could hear the violin and recognized it immediately. I listened to this selection a few times trying to figure out the other instruments playing. I was astonished to learn that it was just violins. That knowledge made me appreciate the piece even more. BEETHOVEN: Symphony No 5 in C Minor, III is a very popular piece used in numerous different ways. It was used in an Intel commercial, the Pink Panther and sample by numerous musicians today. There is a curious alternation of mood between his odd-numbered symphonies (Symphonies No. 3, 5, 7, and 9), which tend to be forceful and assertive, and his even-numbered ones (Symphonies No. 4, 6, and 8), which are calmer and more lyrical (Kamien, p.239). The more forceful mood was heard immediately. The aggressive bowing from the violinist expressed the mood of the selection perfectly. Totally opposite of the light an airy mood the String Quartet. Utilizing the same instrument and creating totally different sounds is amazing. The power of music and the ability of musicians to understand and be able to create different moods is lost on most musicians of today.

My second pairing is of MOZART: Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, III and HAYDN: Symphony No. 94 in G Minor II. Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik is a serenade, a work that’s usually light in mood, meant for evening entertainment (Kamien, p.203). The double bass compliments the string section adequately. Although, it is supposed to be light in mood while listening my mood wasn’t light. This isn’t as aggressive as Beethoven’s 5th, but the strings section had some assertiveness to them. I could see royalty entering a Gala to this piece. It demanded attention in an inconspicuous way, you wouldn’t even realize that you are being commanded by the music. Haydn’s piece on the other hand felt more like evening entertainment. I could see a Minuet being performed to this piece. Haydn composed his most famous symphony, Symphony No. 94 in G Major (Surprise), in 1791, during his first visit to London (Kamien, p. 210). Haydn titled this piece Surprise and 32 seconds into the selection you will understand why. The piece starts off with a soft melody that’s repeated and then “surprise” the full orchestra reached a crescendo and then the soft melody repeats. I was surprised by the crescendo and then when I read about the piece and saw what he titled it I smile and thought, fitting.

My third pairing is between MOZART: Requiem in D Minor and BEETHOVEN: Piano Sonata in C Minor, II. The somber tones of the violins and the chant like vocals in the background gave me the feeling of utter doom. In the last two months of his life, Mozart composed nine movements of the Requiem and part of a tenth (Kamien, p235). Mozart felt the mood of this piece was a reflection for him. He died trying to complete the Requiem. His friend and student Franz Xaver Süssmayr, was the one who completed the Requiem. For the first time since listening I got the affection of the selection correct. I felt the mood, the composer was trying to convey. Following this piece up with Beethoven’s was a match. This mood of this piece in my opinion felt like the danger and doom that Mozart was warning about came to fruition in Beethoven’s piece. The way that the piece started off so slow was what gave me that end feeling. Like someone who was tormented just died and is in pain no more. As the chords repeated and elevated in pitch it reinforced the end. Deep tones inserted into the beautiful melody during the first movement reminds you of the tragedy.