General Music Distance e-learning Lesson 2

This is part 2 of a 2-lesson series on the history of serious western art music. All of this music is sometimes referred to as "classical" music. Hopefully after this lesson you will have a better understanding of why all of this music might not be considered "classical".

Classical- 1700’s- early 1800’s: “I. Allegro” from “Horn Concerto No. 1 in D” by Mozart

What happened in US History on July 4, 1776? If you said the signing of the Declaration of Independence, you are correct! The Classical movement in Music and Visual Arts emphasized rational thought, discipline and restraint in the Arts. You'll probably notice a reserved character to the music of this era. If George Washington and the other founding fathers took a break from establishing our independence, perhaps they would have listened to performances of music like this Classical Era example by Mozart.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLxrPQI9gLU

Romantic- 1800’s- early 1900’s: “The Great Gate of Kiev” of Mussorgsky’s “Pictures…”

The Romantic era in music and the other Arts was about expressing emotion through the Arts (in response/ contrast to the Classical era’s focus on rationality and control). The composer of our next example was Modest Mussorgsky. Mussorgsky had a friend named Mr. Hartmann who was a visual artist. (Musicians and visual artists are often friends!) Mr. Hartmann entered an art contest to design a new gate to the entrance of the city of Kiev (then a part of Russia, now part of Ukraine). The gate was supposed to commemorate Tsar Alexander II's narrow escape from an assassination attempt on April 4, 1866. Mr. Hartmann worked very hard on his design and considered it the best work he had ever done. Unfortunately the competition and plans to build the structure were later cancelled. Mr. Hartmann died shortly thereafter. Mussorgsky wanted to do something nice to show respect for his friend who had passed away. Mussorgsky decided to organize an art show of Mr. Hartmann’s work. At the art show, Mussorgsky was so inspired by the art he saw he wrote the 16-movement masterpiece “Pictures at an Exhibition”. Our next sample is the last movement from this masterpiece. It's called “The Great Gate of Kiev”. Listen to this Romantic era composition and feel the emotion it conveys!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cZ4D5dWkyE

Modern- 1900’s- present: “Saturday Night Waltz” from “Rodeo” by Aaron Copland

Thanks in part to technological advances, eras and styles of music are coming to fruition faster and even enjoy resurgence and overlap. We are living in what is referred to as the “Modern Era”. Because it is ongoing, we do not know what will be considered the greatest works of this time. (Perhaps one of you will be the greatest composer of the “Modern Era”!) I do believe that Aaron Copeland will be listed among the greatest composers of this era and his programmatic Ballet depicting the American West “Rodeo” is characteristic of his skill. Enjoy this sample from the Modern era!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EP-b6c-G6s0

After reading the paragraphs above and listening to the linked recordings please reply to this email and answer the following questions.

  1. What are the names of the three eras of serious western art music you learned about in this lesson? (Extra credit if your answer is in order from the oldest era to the newest era.)
  2. If you had to pick one of these three songs to be in a movie about cowboys, which one would you choose and why?
  3. Which sample recording did you like best?
  4. Why did you like that one best?
  5. If you had to choose between your favorite recording in this lesson and your favorite recording from the last lesson, which one would you choose and why?

With your parent/ guardian's permission, search on youtube for more music from the era or composer you preferred (see question 3).